Former world champion PV Sindhu and Asian Games gold medallists Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will lead India’s challenge at the 2026 BWF World Championships, which begin at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Monday.India have won at least one medal at every edition of the BWF World Championships since 2011, and the home contingent will look to continue that run this year. Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty will also be among the Indian players hoping to make an impact in the men’s singles event.The World Championships are returning to India after 17 years. With the tournament being held in New Delhi, Indian fans will hope Sindhu, Satwik-Chirag, Lakshya and Ayush can go deep into the competition and add another chapter to the country’s badminton record.The 2026 edition gets underway with the host nation fielding players across the Round of 64.The day’s biggest match involving an Indian player comes in the evening, when Ayush Shetty faces top seed and defending champion Shi Yu Qi of China at around 6.10pm IST. Ayush has lost all three of his previous meetings with Shi, although he has pushed the Chinese player close in the past.Indians in action today: Full schedule (IST), Court 112:20pm: Men’s doubles: Hariharan Amsakarunan, M R Arjun vs Scott Guildea,Paul Reynolds (Ireland)4:30pm: Women’s doubles: Treesa Jolly, Gayatri Gopichand vs Paula Lopez,Lucia Rodriguez (Spain)5:20pm: Women’s singles: PV Sindhu (9) vs Sophia Noble (Ireland)6:10pm: Men’s singles: Shi Yu Qi (1) [China] vs Ayush Shetty7:00pm: Women’s doubles: Nikol Carulla,Carmen Maria Jimenez (Spain) vs Kavipriya Selvam, Simran Singhi
