Satwik-Chirag Target Home Glory at BWF World Championships

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are preparing to make the most of a rare home opportunity when the BWF World Championships begin in New Delhi, with the fifth-seeded Indian men’s doubles pair targeting a deep run at the sport’s biggest annual event.

The 30th edition of the championships will be staged at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium from August 17 to 23. It marks the tournament’s return to India after 17 years, with Hyderabad having previously hosted the World Championships in 2009.

Chirag said the work carried out ahead of the event was evident and welcomed the improved conditions. He also highlighted the importance of competing in front of a home crowd as he and Rankireddy seek to go as far as possible in the draw.

Home support adds to a major opportunity

“A lot of work has been done, and it’s quite visible. The conditions are much better,” Chirag said, adding that he was looking forward to the week in New Delhi.

For the Indian pair, the World Championships represent another chance to pursue the top prize. Chirag said the objective remains the same each year: to go all the way. With the event taking place on home ground, he said the pair want to make the most of the occasion and enjoy it fully.

“It’s an added advantage that we’ll have home crowd support. It’s a privilege to be in our country,” Chirag said.

Rankireddy echoed that feeling, saying that playing in India has always carried special significance for the pair. He pointed to their experiences at the India Open and noted that opportunities to play international tournaments in front of home supporters were limited when they first began competing.

He described the World Championships as an even more special occasion, while acknowledging the challenge of returning from injury and a break before taking on the event in India. Rankireddy said the pair are excited by that challenge.

“It’s always special playing in front of a home crowd,” Rankireddy said. “It’s quite challenging, but we love taking challenges, so we are really excited for it.”

Fifth seeds bring recent form and medal history

Rankireddy and Chirag enter the championships as Asian Games champions and the fifth seeds in men’s doubles. They will also carry momentum from their Singapore Open victory in May, where they won the BWF Super 750 title.

The pair have already established a record of success at the World Championships, having won bronze medals in 2022 and 2025. Their focus in New Delhi will be on improving on those finishes and challenging for a maiden world title.

The championships offer the highest number of BWF ranking points alongside the Olympic Games, underlining the weight of the tournament on the international badminton calendar. The event is held annually except in Olympic years.

India will have two entries in each of the five disciplines: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. The home contingent is led by ninth-seeded women’s singles player Sindhu and the fifth-seeded Rankireddy-Chirag partnership. Lakshya Sen, along with the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, are also among India’s seeded entries.

For Rankireddy and Chirag, the task is clear: manage the challenge of their return, draw on their recent title-winning form and use the support in New Delhi to pursue the deepest possible run at a World Championships being held in India for the first time since 2009.