Malaysia Masters 2026: Lakshya Sen headlines in Indian badminton squad
Kuala Lumpur, May 18
Star shuttler Lakshya Sen will headline a 26-member Indian contingent at the Malaysia Masters 2026 badminton tournament, which gets underway on Tuesday at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur.
The BWF Super 500 event will be available for live streaming in India, as per Olympics.com.
India will field a relatively young squad as PV Sindhu has withdrawn from the tournament, while men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who reached the Thailand Open final last week, have also opted out of participation.
In men's singles, Lakshya Sen, seeded eighth, will lead India's challenge alongside HS Prannoy, the 2023 Malaysia Masters champion, Kiran George and Tharun Mannepalli. S Sankar Muthusamy will begin his campaign from the qualifiers.
MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan will be India's sole men's doubles representatives in the absence of the top-ranked Satwik-Chirag pair.
Sindhu, a two-time Malaysia Masters winner in 2013 and 2016, was initially listed but has withdrawn from the competition.
In women's singles, Unnati Hooda is seeded sixth, while India will also be represented by Malvika Bansod, Anmol Kharb, Devika Sihag, Tanvi Sharma, Isharani Baruah and Rakshitha Ramraj. Aakarshi Kashyap returns to BWF World Tour action for the first time since the Orleans Masters in March, starting from the qualifiers.
In women's doubles, India's top pair, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, remain unavailable, with Jolly still recovering from injury. The Indian challenge will instead be led by Rutaparna Panda/Swetaparna Panda and Ashwini Bhat/Shikha Gautam.
Malaysia Masters 2026: India squad
Men's singles: Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Kiran George, Tharun Mannepalli, S Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian.
Men's doubles: MR Arjun/Hariharan Amsakarunan.
Women's singles: Devika Sihag, Tanvi Sharma, Unnati Hooda, Malvika Bansod, Anmol Kharb, Isharani Baruah, Rakshitha Ramraj, Tanya Hemnath, Aakashi Kashyap.
Women's doubles: Rutaparna Panda/Swetaparna Panda, Ashwini Bhat K/Shikha Gautam.
Mixed doubles: Ashith Surya/Amrutha Pramuthesh, Rohan Kapoor/Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, Sathwik Reddy Kanapuram/Radhika Sharma.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Very excited for Unnati Hooda! She's seeded 6th in women's singles, which is incredible for someone so young. ❤️ Our women's singles depth is really improving with Malvika, Anmol, and Devika as well. Just wish Treesa and Gayatri were playing in women's doubles - we really need them back soon.
Prannoy won this tournament in 2023, so he's definitely one to watch. But honestly, 26 players is a big squad - feels like we're spreading ourselves thin. Shouldn't we focus on quality over quantity? The men's doubles situation is worrying - just one pair after Satwik-Chirag? 😬
Mixed doubles looking promising with new combinations like Ashith Surya/Amrutha Pramuthesh. Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde are also a solid pair. Disappointed that PV Sindhu pulled out, but it's good to see Aakarshi Kashyap back in action after a couple of months. Let's go India! 🇮🇳🏸
Why is PV Sindhu always pulling out of tournaments now? It used to be once in a while, but now feels like every other event. At 31, maybe she's managing her body better, but fans in Malaysia would have loved to see her play. Anyway, Lakshya is in great form - expecting a semi-final at least!
Women's singles is where the real action will be! Unnati,
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