New Delhi, Aug 12: India’s badminton journey will come into focus when the BWF World Championships return to the country in 2026, 17 years after Hyderabad hosted the tournament for the first time.
The 2009 edition was a landmark occasion for Indian badminton. Held at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, the tournament provided home players with an opportunity to compete against the world’s leading shuttlers on Indian soil.Saina Nehwal emerged as India’s leading singles performer, reaching the women’s singles quarter-finals.
Her campaign ended against China’s Wang Lin, who won the contest in straight games.India also produced a notable performance in mixed doubles through Valiyaveetil Diju and Jwala Gutta.
The eighth-seeded duo reached the quarter-finals, becoming the first Indian mixed-doubles pair to achieve that stage at the World Championships.Their run ended against Indonesia’s defending champions Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir.India did not secure a medal at the 2009 championships, but the performances provided evidence of the potential within the country’s badminton system.
The sport has since undergone a substantial transformation. Indian players have gone on to win medals at the Olympics and World Championships, while the country has developed greater depth across singles and doubles events.Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu became major figures in women’s badminton, while players including Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen strengthened India’s men’s singles presence.
In men’s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have emerged as prominent representatives of the country on the international circuit.The progress has been supported by the expansion of professional coaching, training centres, domestic tournaments and sports infrastructure. Increased public and private investment has also helped provide young players with greater opportunities to pursue badminton professionally.
The return of the World Championships in 2026 therefore offers more than a repeat of the 2009 hosting milestone. It reflects the growth of Indian badminton from an emerging discipline into a sport with a strong international presence.
As the world’s best shuttlers gather in India once again, the tournament will also provide a chance to assess how far the country has travelled since its first experience of hosting badminton’s biggest global event.
