PREVIEW
Expectations will be high when Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty spearhead the home challenge at the India Open super 750 badminton tournament beginning on Tuesday, hoping to annex their first silverware of the new season.
The BAI flagship tournament, which was upgraded to super 750 in 2023, proved a dampener for home shuttlers last season when none of the Indians could cross the second round.
READ | Focus on Satwik-Chirag as home shuttlers look to dazzle at India Open
In the 2022 edition, Satwik-Chirag and Lakshya Sen stood on the podium with the men’s doubles and men’s singles crown and the home shuttlers will hope to once again live up to the expectations and prove that last year was an aberration.
When and where will India Open 2024 take place?
India Open super 750 badminton tournament will take place from January 16 to 21 at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
Having fared poorly in Malaysia, world No. 8 H S Prannoy and Lakshya will look to find their rhythm quickly, while Kidambi Srikanth must have got some confidence back following his win over Jonatan Christie in the opening round last week.
Prannoy and Sen will look for a good start, having suffered first-round exits in Kuala Lumpur, when they open against Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen and Priyanshu Rajawat respectively.
Where to watch India Open 2024 badminton live in India?
India Open 2024 matches will be telecast live on Eurosport TV channels and live streaming of the same will be available on Jio Cinema.
In the women’s doubles, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto reached the second round in Malaysia and would look to continue their good run when they take on the world No. 10 Thai combination of Rawinda Prajongjai and Jongkolphan Kititharakul.
Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly, on the other hand, will cross swords against fourth seeds Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida of Japan.
-PTI
INDIA SQUAD:
Men’s singles: HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rajawat, Kidambi Srikanth
Men’s doubles: Chirag Shetty/Satwiksairaj Rankireddy
Women’s doubles: Tanisha Crasto/Ashwini Ponnappa, Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand
Ticket details for India Open 2024
Limited free passes available from January 15, 2024 for next day matches on first-come-first-serve basis. The passes are to be collected from Gate No 7 of IG stadium complex between 10 am and 4pm.