Indian Badminton Team – Sudirman Cup, Thomas & Uber Cup: The Badminton Association of India will conduct a selection trial on August 28 to pick the teams for the upcoming Sudirman Cup and Thomas and Uber Cup Finals. The prestigious Sudirman Cup Mixed Team Championship is scheduled to be held in Vantaa, Finland from September 26 to October 3, followed by Thomas and Uber Cup from October 9 to 17 at Aarhus in Denmark.
Also read: Thomas & Uber Cup Draws: Indian Men’s badminton team gets China in group, Women team draws Thailand
Indian Badminton Team: BAI calls players for selection trial for Sudirman Cup and Thomas & Uber Cup Final
BAI has called in almost 105 players for the trials & that includes both junior and senior shuttlers.
Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu, 2012 London Games bronze winner Saina Newhal, Tokyo Olympian B Sai Praneeth, 2016 Rio Olympics quarterfinalist Kidambi Srikanth and world No. 10 Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have been selected directly for the two events.
“BAI will be conducting selection trials for forthcoming Sudirman Cup and Thomas & Uber Cup to be held at Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy, Hyderabad from 28th (Saturday) August 2021 onwards,” the governing body said in a letter.
“Players are requested to report for the Trial by 27th August 2021 (Evening).”
Indian Badminton Team – Sudirman Cup, Thomas & Uber Cup: India, along with England, Russia and Egypt, has been placed in the 9 to 16 bracket at the Sudirman Cup.
“We have selected the players who are ranked inside the top 20 in the world directly for the two tournaments. They don’t need to go through the trials,” BAI general secretary Ajay Singhania told PTI.
Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Verma brothers — Sameer and Sourabh, former Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap, Ajay Jayaram and Subhankar Dey are the prominent names in men’s singles players’ list.
In women’s singles, Ashmita Chaliha, Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap, Tasnim Mir, Vaishnavi Jakka Reddy and Gayatri Gopichand are some of the names who will be participating in the trials.
Women’s doubles pairing of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy and men’s doubles combination of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy will also have to go through the trials.
BAI also said that “parents, personal coaches and other members” will not be allowed during the trials in line with the COVID-19 protocols.
The last date of entry is August 26.
India handed tough draw in Sudirman Cup
India have been drawn with top seeds and defending champions China, Thailand and hosts Finland for the upcoming Sudirman Cup badminton tournament, making it a tough Group A for the side to negotiate.
The prestigious World Mixed Team Championship is scheduled to be held in Vantaa, Finland from September 26 to October 3.
India and Finland have been seeded in the 9 to 16 bracket, while Thailand are placed in the 5-8 bracket in the 16-nation event.
The Chinese team, which has won the title 11 times in the past, will have the opportunity to consolidate its position as it seeks a 12th title.
The draw, held in Kuala Lumpur and broadcast online, saw second seeds Japan drawn with Malaysia, England and Egypt in Group D.
Japan were runners-up in 2019 and are seeking their first Sudirman Cup title.
Indonesia, winners of the Sudirman Cup in its inaugural year 1989, are in Group C with Denmark, Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and Canada, while Group B consists of Chinese Taipei, Korea, Tahiti and Germany.
Four-time winners Korea are the second most successful team at the World Mixed Team Championships.
The top two teams from each group progress to the knockout round (quarterfinals). The quarter-final draw will be held immediately after the last group match.
Each tie comprises five matches — men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles.
The Badminton Association of India will pick the team for the Sudirman Cup and Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in a selection trial on August 28.
A total of 105 players, including Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Verma brothers Sameer and Sourabh, Parupalli Kashyap, Ashwini Ponnappa, N Sikki Reddy, Ashmita Chaliha, Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap and Gayatri Gopichand have been called for the trials.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, 2012 London Games bronze winner Saina Newhal, Tokyo Olympian B Sai Praneeth, 2016 Rio Olympics quarterfinalist Kidambi Srikanth and world No. 10 Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have been selected directly for the two events.
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