In an Olympic year, the quadrennial extravaganza dwarfs every other competition. This is especially true in a sport like badminton where the Olympic gold is the holy grail. Yet, events that lead up to the marquee sporting festival do carry importance, and the ongoing Thomas & Uber Cup in Chengdu, China, is one such tournament. The de facto ‘World Cup’ of badminton, the biennial championship became an indelible part of the national consciousness when the Indian men’s outfit won its maiden Thomas Cup crown in 2022. While a repeat is very much in the realm of possibility, the strong Indian side (H.S. Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty among others) will look at it as a great opportunity to test their competitive mettle ahead of the Paris Olympics. Two years ago, the triumph had acted as a springboard for Satwiksairaj and Chirag, who went on to clinch the coveted Asian Games doubles gold in 2023 and help secure a historic team silver before becoming the first Indians to be ranked No.1 in doubles. Prannoy, India’s No.1 singles player and an Asian Games bronze medallist, will be looking for similar inspiration after a not-so-good year while Lakshya will be keen to sharpen his skills ahead of his first-ever Olympics.
The women’s Uber Cup roster does not include the Olympics-bound trio of singles star P.V. Sindhu and doubles practitioners Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto. The three have prioritised a solid training block — a luxury in a chock-a-block tournament calendar — while an inexperienced side gets a taste of elite-level badminton. The focus will be on 17-year-old Anmol Kharb, who played a stellar role in India winning the Badminton Asia Team Championship in February, and Isharani Baruah, 20. There is also an expectation for Ashmita Chaliha, 24, long marked out for success, to make good on her promise. The tourney comes at a time when India is looking to restock its women’s singles cupboard. As Saina Nehwal inches closer to retirement, the cabinet, barring two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu, has appeared bare in recent times. But going by the results in Chengdu, there is optimism that the next generation of stars could emerge from this lot. They have beaten Canada and Singapore back to back — by convincing 4-1 scorelines — to qualify for the quarterfinals, and further progress will confirm the green shoots. Even as all eyes are on the Thomas Cup defence and Olympics preparation, the women in the Uber Cup can well make it a week to remember.
