India’s double Olympic medalist shuttler PV Sindhu will sign a four-year deal with a leading sports equipment brand for four years, worth Rs 4 crore per year, according to sources. The sources also mentioned that Sindhu is currently in talks with two leading global brands of technical equipment, which have offered her Rs 4 crore per year for four years. Her existing endorsement deal with Li-Ning, as an ambassador, has come to an end. PV Sindhu has had a mixed run in recent competitions on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour circuit.

While she did break her title drought of over two years in the Syed Modi India International in December last year by capturing the women’s title by beating China’s Wu Luo Yu, she started the new year with a quarterfinal finish in the India Open in Lucknow and a disappointing first-round exit in the Indonesia Masters held this month, losing to Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh.

Sindhu, along with Paris Olympics semi-finalist Lakshya Sen, will lead a 14-member strong Indian team at the upcoming Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships, to be held in Qingdao, China, from February 11-16, 2025.

India won the bronze medal in the last edition of the championships, held in Dubai in 2023, and will aim to improve on that performance this time.

The national selectors have taken into account the world rankings and current form of the players while selecting the squad, which will include HS Prannoy and Malvika Bansod as the second men’s and women’s singles players, respectively.

India also boasts a strong doubles lineup, with the former world No. 1 combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty leading the men’s doubles charge. The women’s doubles duties will be shared by Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly or Olympians Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto.

Tanisha will also compete in mixed doubles alongside Dhruv Kapila, with Sathish Kumar K and Adya Variyath forming the second mixed doubles combination in the squad.

India Squad for Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships:

Men: Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Dhruv Kapila, MR Arjun, Sathish Kumar K

Women: PV Sindhu, Malvika Bansod, Gayatri Gopichand, Treesa Jolly, Ashwini Ponnappa, Tanisha Crasto, Adya Variyath.

India clinched a bronze medal in the last edition of the competition in Dubai in 2023.© BAI

Ahead of the Indonesia Masters 2025, former India world no. 1 Kidambi Srikanth opened up on his preparations for the tournament where he went on to say that for him it is important for him is to play well and give his best in the game. Along with Srikant, ace Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen and men’s doubles pair Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will participate in the upcoming Indonesia Masters 2025 badminton tournament which will kickstart on Tuesday in Jakarta, Indonesia.

“I’m in Indonesia and have trained well. I feel it’s important to play well that one hour you get and let’s see what the outcome is going to be but what is more important for me is to play well and give my best,” Srikanth said while speaking to ANI.

Further, the 31-year-old spoke about how the sport of Badminton has become more tough for the players in the last few years.

“The competition has become tougher. The level at which everybody is playing has gone higher. It’s always important to continuously get better, there is no pausing at any moment, you have to continuously work on your game and try and get better. I’m just trying to do it and also the fact that we have won three medals at the Olympics, I’m sure that everyone expects many more medals from badminton and I feel it’s a responsibility and everyone is taking it really well and everyone is performing really well at the Olympics,” Srikanth added.

In the end, the badminton player spoke about his collaboration with the Hundred and said that with them he would try to make equipment which would benefit the players.

“The partnership with the Hundred is a new experience and oppurtunity for me. Now, we both together will try to develop the equipment together. I will try to give my input on how should a racquet feels like or how a shoe should feel like. Both of us together might be able to create very good products which will benefit a lot of players,” Srikanth concluded.

The partnership will make its official debut at the prestigious Indonesia Masters 2025, reflecting Hundred’s commitment to inspiring and empowering the next generation of badminton enthusiasts.

Hundred, a leading global performance-focused sports brand, proudly announces its partnership with badminton legend Srikanth Kidambi, Padma Shri Awardee, former World #1 Men’s Singles player and one of the most celebrated figures in the sport. Srikanth’s collaboration with Hundred marks a pivotal step in the brand’s mission to strengthen its presence in the Indian badminton market.

Ace Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Laksya Sen along with men’s doubles pair Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will lead the Indian contingent in the upcoming Indonesia Masters 2025 badminton tournament which will kickstart on Tuesday in Jakarta, Indonesia.

PV Sindhu, 16th in the women’s single; world badminton rankings, will face world no. 32 Nguyen Thuy Linh of Vietnam in her tournament opener.

World No. 12 Lakshya Sen, who was eliminated in the first round of both the Malaysia and India Open earlier this month, will face Japan’s Takuma Obayashi in his round of 32 fixture.

Ace Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen along with men’s doubles pair Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will lead the Indian contingent in the upcoming Indonesia Masters 2025 badminton tournament which will kickstart on Tuesday in Jakarta, Indonesia. PV Sindhu, 16th in the women’s single; world badminton rankings, will face world No 32 Nguyen Thuy Linh of Vietnam in her tournament opener. Aakarshi Kashyap, Anupama Upadhyaya and Rakshitha Ramraj are also in the women’s singles draw at the Indonesia Open.

World No 12 Lakshya Sen, who was eliminated in the first round of both the Malaysia and India Open earlier this month, will face Japan’s Takuma Obayashi in his round of 32 fixture.

Priyanshu Rajawat and Kiran George will also be a part of India’s charge in men’s singles at the Indonesia Masters 2025.

In the men’s doubles event, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will be India’s only challenge.

The Indian badminton players, who won the Indonesia Open Super 1000 back in 2023, recently made it to the semi-finals of the Malaysia and India Open.

Chirag-Satwik are ninth in the men’s doubles world badminton rankings.

India’s sole representative in the women’s doubles section at Indonesia Masters 2025 are Ashwini Ponnappa-Tanisha Crasto and they will face Thailand’s Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn-Sukitta Suwachai in the first round.

Tanisha Crasto is also a part of the mixed doubles draw with Dhruv Kapila. They face Indonesia’s Adnan Maulana and Indah Cahya Sari Jamil.

India squad for Indonesia Masters 2025:

Men’s singles: Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rajawat, Kiran George, Kidambi Srikanth (Q), Ayush Shetty (Q)

Men’s doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty

Women’s singles: PV Sindhu, Aakarshi Kashyap, Rakshitha Ramraj, Anupama Upadhyaya, Isharani Baruah (Q), Tanya Hemnath (Q)

Women’s doubles: Ashwini Ponnappa-Tanisha Crasto

Mixed doubles: Tanisha Crasto-Dhruv Kapila, Rohan Kapoor-Ruthvika Gadde.

After conceding a defeat in the quarterfinal round at the ongoing India Open 2025, top shuttler PV Sindhu pledged to come back stronger. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stayed on course for their second consecutive India Open final with a straight games win over Korea’s Yong Jin and Kang Min Hyuk in the men’s doubles quarterfinals while PV Sindhu and Kiran George were knocked out of the BWF World Tour Super 750 event at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall on Friday.

Speaking to the reporters, PV Sindhu said that it was a sad moment for her to lose the game after fighting till the third set.

“Overall I feel it was anybody’s game…It is sad that I lost in the third set after fighting so hard… I have to come back stronger…It is disappointing,” Sindhu told reporters.

There were a lot of positives to take home for Sindhu. The 29-year-old, who had been struggling with injuries since the Paris Olympics, struggled with her movement in the opening game but took the fight to her opponent once she found her range.

Trailing 3-9 in the second game, Sindhu began pushing Tunjung to the back of the court thereby nullifying the sharpness of Indonesia’s quick slice drops and keeping the shuttle long enough in play to force an error from her opponent.

She caught up with Tunjung at 9-9 and though both the players stayed neck-and-neck thereafter, Sindhu managed to take the match into a decider by forcing the fourth seed into taking more risks to try and win points.

The former champion continued with the same strategy in the decider and it looked like she could script an upset with both players locked at 17-17. Some brilliant stroke play from Tunjung and a wrong judgement from Sindhu ended up deciding the fate of the match which lasted an hour and two minutes.

Speaking to the reporters, Chirag Shetty said that he and his partner Satwiksairaj went all guns blazing in the game on Friday. Chirag added that they put pressure on the opponents.

“We went all guns blazing. In the end, they (opponents) were able to defend the shots…We never really wanted them to get back in the game…Our strongest point was to put them under pressure…,” Chirag Shetty told reporters.

Speaking to the reporters, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy said that they were always in control of the match.

“We knew that if we continue to put pressure on them, they will not be able to sustain…We were always in control of the match…We were very positive from the start of the match…,” Satwiksairaj told reporters.

It was the pairing of Satwik and Chirag that gave the sizeable crowd at the KD Jadhav Hall enough reasons to celebrate as they played a near-clinical match against the Koreans, who had upset the top seeds and world no. 1 Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the opening round.

The Asian Games gold medallists raced to a 9-1 lead in the opening game and then controlled the proceedings to pocket the game in 18 minutes. The Koreas did put up a stronger fight in the second game the Indians were hardly under any pressure.

In the semi-final, they will face third seeds Sze Fei Goh and Nur Izzuddin of Indonesia.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu’s valiant fight ended in disappointment, but Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lifted the spirits of the Indian camp with a dominant performance as they stormed into the semifinals of the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Friday. Satwik and Chirag, the 2022 champions, pulverised the Korean pair of Jin Yong and Kang Min Hyuk with a barrage of attacking shots, winning 21-10, 21-17 in just 41 minutes.

The victory marked their third consecutive semifinal appearance on the tour, following finishes in the last four stage at the China Masters and Malaysia Super 1000 last year.

The seventh seeded Indians will face Malaysian third seeds Sze Fei Goh and Nur Izzuddin in the semifinals.

“Right from the word go, we were all guns blazing. I think that’s what we wanted to do because once they were able to defend, if we are a bit slow, then they are able to capitalize on the opponent being a bit slow and try to maneuver the shuttle around,” Chirag said.

“We were pretty comfortable even though it was close. It was our mistakes we did in the last three points, so there was no tension. We are under control, we are telling like nothing to worry, just one point at a time. So we kept believing that and we are very positive from the start as well,” Satwik added.

Earlier, Sindhu, a former champion, suffered a 9-21, 21-19, 17-21 loss to Paris Games bronze medallist Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in a gripping 62-minute women’s singles quarterfinal.

“It is sad that I lost in the third set after fighting so hard, but I think the game is such. I have to obviously come back stronger. At that point, I would say anybody would have lost that point,” Sindhu told reporters.

“There were long rallies. I need to be more consistent and keep the shuttle in the court. In the second and third sets, I was not leaving the drops or half-smashes or cut drops. But, in the first game, I wasn’t comfortable and made easy mistakes.” India’s only hope in men’s singles, Kiran George, then suffered a 13-21, 19-21 loss to China’s Hong Yang Weng. Nevertheless, his maiden Super 750 quarterfinal finish will give him confidence ahead of the upcoming tournaments.

In the other matches, top seed An Se Young of South Korea beat Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min 21-11, 21-12 and Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand stunned Chinese third seed Han Yue 21-17, 21-16 in women’s singles.

In the men’s singles quarterfinals, Paris Olympics champion Viktor Axelsen was made to work hard for a 21-19, 13-21, 21-8 victory over former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore.

Satwik-Chirag roll on 

The match began with a fierce rally, but thereafter, it was complete domination from Satwik and Chirag. The Indians kept the rallies short, launching relentless attacks and engaging in criss-cross net play to lead 11-3 at the break.

Jin and Kang tried mixing rallies with drops and deep tosses, but the Indians were relentless, zooming to 18-8. Satwik and Chirag soon earned 11 game points with two more smashes, before another thunderbolt from Satwik sealed the first game.

In the second game, Jin and Kang initially held a slender 4-3 lead but it was short-lived. A barrage of attacking shots from the Indians helped them make it 9-4 as they entered the interval with a five-point cushion following Satwik’s down-the-line smash.

The Koreans clawed back to make it 13-15 and won a 37-shot rally to level the score at 16-16.

However, Chirag unleashed a smash to extinguish any hope of a revival, and with a final net error from the Koreans, Satwik and Chirag grabbed three match points before sealing the match at the first opportunity.

Sindhu vs Tunjung 

Tunjung dominated early with her delectable drops, racing to an 11-4 lead at the break. Sindhu struggled with her strokes, and the game soon slipped away.

In the second game, the Indonesian grabbed a 6-2 lead after the change of sides but Sindhu fought back, levelling at 9-9 with Tunjung erring repeatedly. A wide shot from Tunjung gave Sindhu a one-point advantage at the break.

Sindhu’s attacking play, featuring powerful smashes, helped her reach 14-10 but Tunjung fought back, tying the score at 14-14.

A pumped-up Sindhu regained her composure, clinching two game points before Tunjung hit into the net, allowing the Indian to take the first game 21-19.

In the decider, Tunjung raced to a 10-8 lead with both players exchanging intense rallies. Sindhu erased the deficit quickly after the break and kept the pressure on her opponent.

Tunjung moved to 17-14, but Sindhu responded, drawing parity with a drop and a net-shot winner.

However, Tunjung secured three match points and, despite Sindhu’s best efforts, claimed the match with a cross-court winner.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu progressed to the quarterfinals, while Kiran George delivered a gritty performance to keep the home flag flying in men’s singles at the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament in New Delhi on Thursday. Sindhu cruised past Japan’s world No. 46 Manami Suizu with a 21-15, 21-13 win, while Kiran pulled off a stunning recovery, saving six game points to outlast Alex Lanier 22-20, 21-13 in the pre-quarterfinals. Sindhu, a former world champion, will now face Paris Olympics bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, while Kiran will take on left-handed Chinese shuttler Hong Yang Weng in the next round.

Kiran’s match against Alex started with the Frenchman leading 6-1 before a series of unforced errors allowed the Indian to claw back. Despite Alex using his smashes effectively, Kiran hung in and managed to close the gap. Alex led by three points at the interval, but Kiran showed remarkable mental resilience.

Down 14-20, Kiran saved six game points, launching an eight-point burst to seal the opening game as Alex repeatedly missed the lines.

In the second game, Kiran led 14-11 after a fierce battle. Alex’s smashes went wide and long, while Kiran capitalised on every opportunity. Alex lost both challenges as Kiran surged to a 19-13 lead, and a couple of net errors sealed the match for the Indian.

“I was just taking it one point at a time, not thinking about the lead. I think that helped me secure the first set. I was just being patient,” Kiran said after the match.

“This win feels good, but I’m focused on my next match. It’s a huge confidence booster. Going into tomorrow’s match will help a lot. It’s just hard work; I’m playing patiently. That’s what I think changed my game. Today, I didn’t have anything to lose, so I gave my all.”

Sindhu vs Suizu

Sindhu made a strong start, leading 11-6 at the break. Although Suizu briefly narrowed the gap to 11-13 and 13-14, Sindhu was always a step ahead, with the Japanese player unable to cope with the Indian’s powerful smashes. Sindhu continued to hit deep returns and used precise drops to trouble Suizu. Soon, she was 20-14 up and sealed the game when Suizu hit into the net.

After the change of sides, Sindhu raced to a 5-0 lead. The second game was all about Sindhu, as she quickly established a dominant 11-2 lead at the interval, and it became clear that Suizu had no answers to the Indian’s relentless pressure.

PV Sindhu and the celebrated doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had to toil to advance to the second round of the USD 950,000 India Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Tuesday, as home shuttlers experienced a mixed day. After missing the season-opening Malaysia Open Super 1000 due to her wedding in December, Sindhu looked a bit rusty but managed to battle through a 21-14, 22-20 victory over world No. 24 Sung Shuo Yun of Chinese Taipei.

“After a long break, it’s always difficult to find the rhythm, but I am happy to have won the match in straight games. My shuttle was going midcourt in the second game, but I was always confident I could pull things off,” said Sindhu.

The world No. 16 Indian will now face Japan’s Manami Suizu in the second round.

In men’s doubles, title contenders Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded seventh, overcame a few nervous moments to defeat Malaysia’s world No. 7 duo, Man Wei Chong and Kai Wun Tee, 23-21, 19-21, 21-16.

After winning a narrow opening game, the Indian pair slipped in the second, allowing the Malaysians to force a decider. Satwik and Chirag took an 11-9 lead in the third game, but the Malaysian pair kept things tight until 18-16, before the Indians sealed the match following two net errors from their opponents.

“They have always been a formidable team. They defended quite well, and it was very difficult to penetrate. Their service retrieving was also good. They have improved immensely, but we are happy we could come back in the third,” said Chirag.

Talented shuttler Kiran George, who trains at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA), fought through a thrilling three-game encounter, saving three match points and then securing the win against Japan’s world No. 25 Yushi Tanaka. Kiran won 21-19, 14-21, 27-25.

In mixed doubles, Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila advanced to the second round with a 8-21, 21-19, 21-17 victory over Chinese Taipei’s Chen Cheng Kuan and Hsu Yin-Hui. Former national champions Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam also progressed, defeating Crystal Lai and Jackie Dent 22-20, 21-18 in women’s doubles.

However, there was disappointment for the women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, seeded fifth, as they suffered a 21-23, 19-21 loss to Japan’s Arisa Igarashi and Ayako Sakuramoto, despite recent success at the Syed Modi International Super 300.

Amrutha Pramuthesh and Sonali Singh also fell short, going down 21-19, 15-21, 12-21 to Thailand’s O Jongsathapornparn and S Suwachai.

In mixed doubles, S Karunakaran and A Variyath lost 12-21, 10-21 to the French pair of T Gicquel and D Delrue. Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde also fought hard but were defeated 21-17, 18-21, 15-21 by Hee Yong Kai Terry and Jin Yu Jia.

Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth, who was granted a last-minute entry, withdrew from the tournament, handing a walkover to his first-round opponent Weng Hong Yang of China.

Earlier in the day, Sindhu made a strong start, taking an 11-6 lead at the break and comfortably clinching the opening game. However, the second game saw Sung gain control, establishing an 11-4 lead at the interval. Sindhu mounted a comeback, levelling the score at 13-13 with a four-point burst.

Despite trailing 14-17, Sindhu rallied again, levelling at 17-17, 19-19, and 20-20, before converting a match point to seal the win.

In men’s singles, Kiran George, who was a last-minute entry, opened up a significant lead at the break in the third game. However, a series of errors allowed Tanaka to fight his way back into the match. Despite missing three match points at 20-18, the Indian kept his nerves and saved three match points before finding the winning point.

Kiran will next face the winner of the match between fourth seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand and Alex Lanier of France.

“Even last year, I lost 4-5 matches from a winning position, so I have been working on such situations in practice. Even today, things got difficult, but I managed to keep my composure and pull through,” he said.

File photo of Vinod Kambli and PV Sindhu© X/Twitter

Spotlight will be firmly on the consistent Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty as they lead the host nation’s largest-ever contingent at the star-studded India Open Super 750, beginning in New Delhi on Tuesday. The former world No. 1 men’s doubles pair, the 2022 Indian Open champions, has made a good start to the 2025 season, reaching the semifinals at the Malaysia Super 1000 last week. Despite the disappointment at the Paris Olympics, the duo has emerged as India’s most reliable performers over the last two years, regularly advancing deep into draws, and there will not be any exception in the USD 950,000 event.

Satwik and Chirag, semifinalists at the 2024 China Masters, will face Malaysia’s Wei Chong Man and Kai Wun Tee in their opening round.

While the Indians have shown impressive form, they will be seeking improvement in quick rallies and service variations in a bid to better their runners-up position in the tournament last year. However, the Indian pair will face stiff competition from top names such as China’s Olympic silver medallists Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, Paris bronze medallists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia, Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen, and Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto.

Sindhu back in action

This year’s tournament sees an impressive 21 Indian entries, with two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu back in action after missing the season-opener in Kuala Lumpur due to her wedding.

The 29-year-old Hyderabadi returned to winning ways, lifting the Syed Modi International title, although it was against a predominantly Indian field.

Sindhu will begin her campaign against compatriot Anupama Upadhyaya and is drawn to face Japan’s rising star Tomoka Miyazaki – the 2022 world junior champion and her conqueror at last year’s Swiss Open – in a potentially intriguing clash.

Lakshya Sen, fresh from winning the Syed Modi title and finishing third at the Kings Cup, will hope to bounce back from an early exit in Malaysia.

But the 2022 India Open champion faces a tough opening test against Chinese left-hander Hong Yang Weng.

HS Prannoy, returning after a five-month break following a pre-quarterfinal exit at the Paris Olympics, stumbled in the second round in Malaysia.

However, the 32-year-old veteran showed signs of his old self and will look to build when he faces Chinese Taipei’s Li Yang Su in the first round.

A victory could set him up for a showdown with second seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia.

With marquee players like Olympic champions Viktor Axelsen and An Se Young, and world No. 1 Shi Yuqi leading the competition, high-octane action could unfold at KD Jadhav Indoor Hall, Indira Gandhi Stadium.

The tournament will feature 18 of the world’s top-20 men’s singles players and 14 of the top-20 women’s singles shuttlers.

Young names eye glory

Among the Indians, some promising youngsters will be eager to make a mark.

Priyanshu Rajawat faces a tough challenge in his opening round against sixth-seeded Japanese Kodai Naraoka, while Malvika Bansod meets third seed Chinese Yue Han, and Aakarshi Kashyap faces eighth-seeded Thai Pornpawee Chochuwong.

In the women’s doubles, India’s hopes rest on fifth-seeded Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who will face Japan’s Arisa Igarashi and Ayako Sakuramoto in the first round.

Meanwhile, Guwahati Masters winners Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa, seeded seventh here, will take on the British duo of Chloe Coney and Estelle Van Leeuwen.