Asian Games 2022: Badminton trials to decide the fate of shuttlers

Saina Nehwal missed the selection trials for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games 2022 squads last year due to workload management following a run of European events.

Saina Nehwal in a file photo (Image Credits: Twitter/@BAI_Media)
By Abhiruchi Rout | Apr 26, 2023 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) just announced that the final selection trials for the Indian contingent for the Asian Games 2022 will be held at the Jwala Gutta Academy in Telangana from May 4 to May 7, 2023. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the Asian Games were originally set for last year but were delayed. They will now take place in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8 in 2023.

Given India’s historic success at the Thomas Cup and the emergence of its shuttlers, the Asian Games 2022 will provide an opportunity for India to capture more medals than ever in the sport. The Indian team will be aiming to outperform their performance from the last Games, where they took home two medals: PV Sindhu earned a silver, and Saina Nehwal got the bronze medal.

Read More-PV Sindhu’s achievements under her former coaches

Who will be taking part in the trials?

HS Prannoy, PV Sindhu, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Treesa Jolly, and Gayatri Gopichand were chosen for the Asian Games 2022 based on their position in the Top-20 ranking list of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) as of April 18, 2023, reported by the Badminton Association of India (BAI). Some of the prominent names who will be taking part in the Asian Games 2022 trials are former World no.1 and two-time Asian Games bronze medalist Saina Nehwal, Commonwealth Games 2020 gold medalist Lakshya Sen, and the World Championship 2021 silver medalist Kidambi Srikanth.

Saina Nehwal missed the selection trials for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games 2022 squads last year due to workload management following a run of European events. Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth, who had already qualified automatically for the team but were left out of the top 20 owing to a string of poor performances, will now have to take part in the trials.

Regarding the format

The format of the trials will be determined following the April 28 confirmation deadline. Following the conclusion of the All India Senior Ranking Badminton Tournament from April 12 to 18 in Bahadurgarh, Haryana, the governing body revealed the list of participants for the final selection trials for the Asian Games 2022. The selection committee established the rules during its meeting on January 3, 2023.

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Shuttlers who will be playing the Trials

Men’s Singles

K Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rajawat, Mithun Manjunath, B. Sai Praneeth, Maisnam Meiraba, Bharat Raghav, Ansal Yadav, Siddhant Gupta

Women’s Singles

Saina Nehwal, Aakarshi Kashyap, Malvika Bansod, Ashmita Chaliha, Aditi Bhat, Unnati Hooda, Alisha Naik, Shriyanshi Valishetty, Anupama Upadhyay

Men’s Doubles

M R Arjun & Dhruv Kapila, Krishna Prasad & Vishnuvardhan Goud, Suraj Goala & Pruthvi Roy, Nithin HV & Sai Prateek Krishna Prasad, Kushal Raj & Prakash Raj

Women’s Doubles

Ashwini Bhat & Shikha Gautam, Tanisha Crasto & Ashwini Ponnappa, Radhika Sharma & Tanvi Sharma

Mixed Doubles

Rohan Kapoor & Sikki Reddy, Sai Prateek Krishna Prasad & Tanisha Crasto, Hariharan Amsakarunan & Varshini VS, T Hemanagendra Babu & Kanika Kanwal

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