Thomas Cup 2024: 3 Indian shuttlers most likely to shine

The 2024 Thomas Cup got underway on Saturday, April 27, in Chengdu, China. The Indian team went into the tournament as the defending champions, having achieved their historic maiden triumph in the last edition.

That's not the only reason this tournament is important for male shuttlers from the country. With the Paris 2024 Olympics getting nearer, both the singles and doubles players need to get into some sort of form.

The Indian squad for this year's edition of the Thomas Cup features five singles and five doubles players.

The singles players are HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rajawat, and Kiran George.

The doubles players are Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Dhruv Kapila, MR Arjun, and Sai Pratheek.

A team effort would be needed for India to lift the trophy again. But while the entire squad needs to put in a good effort, we can also look forward to some individual brilliance.

Here are three players from the Indian squad for the Thomas Cup 2024 who are most likely to come through with flying colors.

Lakshya Sen

The 2022 Commonwealth Games champion, Lakshya Sen has become the leading Indian singles player in the last couple of years.

The Uttarakhand-based shuttler is currently ranked 13th in the world. Though inconsistency has marred the promising career of Sen, he has gained some major successes.

This year, he won the bronze medal at the All-England Open. However, his performance in other events on the BWF World Tour left a lot to be desired. Still, he is a player who has the enviable quality of raising his game for major occasions.

At the Thomas Cup 2024, India would likely field him in contests against the leading singles players from the other side - as they did last time. Knowing Sen's fighting qualities, it won't be a surprise if he comes out on top.

HS Prannoy

Ranked ninth in the world, HS Prannoy has also endured a lean patch in recent times. Apart from a semifinal run in the India Open this year, he has been struggling to get past the first round.

However, Indian fans and players would remember how the veteran shuttler won the deciding ties for his team in the semis and quarterfinals of the last Thomas Cup.

In a tournament where a player has to deal with the pressure of both his individual expectations and the team's endeavors, Prannoy's experience would come in handy.

As the highest-ranked Indian singles player in the squad, the 31-year-old has to lead the way for his team. Without a solid performance from him, an Indian triumph looks unlikely.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty

By far the most fancied of India's participants, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty would be in the spotlight again. Not long ago, the Indian duo was ranked No. 1 in the world. They have fallen to the third spot but are still world-beaters.

The duo had a disappointing outing in the All-England Open where they were expected to end India's long wait for a title. Against all expectations, they lost in the Round of 16.

They also pulled out of the Asian Championships, meaning that a substantial period has elapsed since their last outing.

This tournament is key to the leading Indian men's singles pair as they will be among the major medal hopes in the Paris 2024 Olympics. A good performance here would strengthen their claim as among the best doubles teams in world badminton.