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All eyes will be on PV Sindhu as she leads the Indian team at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships 2023, scheduled to be played in Dubai between February 14 and 19, 2023.
The two-time Olympic medalist is looking to get back to form following her injury hiatus. A stress fracture sustained on her way to winning the Commonwealth Games women's singles gold medal last August kept Sindhu on the sidelines for the subsequent five months.
The 27-year-old returned to action in January but couldn't produce the desired results, crashing out early at both the Malaysia Open and the India Open. After a few weeks of rest and recovery, the World No. 9 is raring to go again.
Along with Sindhu, World No. 42 Aakarshi Kashyap, winner of the Bangladesh International Challenge in December, is part of the women's singles line-up at this event.
India's men's singles squad is strong, with the top two stars - World No. 9 HS Prannoy and World No. 11 Lakshya Sen - being part of the contingent.
The men's doubles category has received a blow, however. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, one-half of India's Commonwealth Games gold-winning duo, has pulled out due to a hip injury. In his absence, Dhruv Kapila will team up with Chirag Shetty.
The country's women's doubles challenge will be led by Commonwealth Games bronze medalists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand. Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam are the second Indian pair in this section.
India's sole mixed-doubles pair at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship comprise Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto.
India have been placed in Group B at the continental championships, with Kazakhstan, hosts United Arab Emirates and Commonwealth Games gold medalists Malaysia being the other contenders. Suffice to say, Malaysia will be India's toughest challenge in the group.
India will start off their campaign against Kazakhstan on Tuesday. With the top two teams from each group set to directly advance to the quarterfinals, the contingent will be determined to put up a strong performance in their opener.
India's schedule at Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship 2023
India vs Kazakhstan: February 14, 2023, at 1 pm local time/ 2.30 pm IST
India vs United Arab Emirates: February 15, 2023, at 5 pm local time/ 6.30 pm IST
India vs Malaysia: February 16, 2023, at 5 pm local time/ 6.30 pm IST
Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship 2023 telecast channel list in India
The Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship 2023 will be broadcast live in India on the Sony Sports Network. Sony Sports 2 and Sony Sports 2 HD channels will telecast the event live from 17-19 February.
Live streaming will be available on SonyLiv on the same dates. More live streaming options will be available on the Badminton Asia Twitter page once the tournament starts.
Live scores can be followed on the tournament software throughout the tournament.
