Two-time Olympic medallist and former world champion PV Sindhu will lead a 10-member Indian team at the BWF World Championships 2026 in New Delhi from August 17 to 23, reports Olympics.com. Sindhu secured her place in women’s singles as the host nation representative under BWF rules. The final entries, determined by world rankings as of April 28, feature 64 players in each singles event and 48 pairs in each doubles category. India has two direct entries per discipline. Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty qualified in men’s singles, while Unnati Hooda joins Sindhu in women’s singles. The highest-ranked Indian pair is Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in men’s doubles, ranked fourth, with Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun as the second entry. In women’s doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, ranked 30th, head the challenge alongside Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi. Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto qualified 21st in mixed doubles, joined by Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde. Several other Indian players, including Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy, are on reserve lists. Defending champions from all five events have qualified, including Shi Yu Qi, Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae, Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning, Akane Yamaguchi, and Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei. BWF rules allow up to four entries if all are ranked in the global top eight, three if in the top 24, and two if within the top 150. The draw will be released nearer the event date.
