India Open to Move to Guwahati for 2028 Edition

The India Open will be held in Guwahati in 2028 before returning to New Delhi the following year, according to an announcement by Badminton Association of India secretary general Sanjay Mishra. The one-year switch affects the country’s leading event on the BWF World Series calendar, with Delhi set to host the 2027 edition and again welcome the tournament in 2029.

The change has been linked to the timing of the 2028 event. Mishra said the India Open is due to be played in the final week of January, creating an overlap with Republic Day security arrangements in the national capital. Guwahati will therefore stage the tournament for that edition only.

Why the India Open will move in 2028

Mishra said the decision was made because of the clash between the tournament’s planned dates and the security requirements around Republic Day in New Delhi. The India Open has been based in the capital at its present venue, but the BAI has opted to relocate the event rather than retain it there during that period.

“The 2028 India Open will be held in the last week of January, and due to the tournament dates clashing with Republic Day security arrangements in the National capital. We felt that only for that year, we should shift the tournament to Guwahati. It will return to New Delhi in 2029,” Mishra said in a statement released by the BAI.

The announcement sets out a clear hosting sequence for the next three editions mentioned by the association. Delhi will host in 2027, Guwahati will take over in 2028, and the event will then go back to Delhi in 2029. The move is not presented as a permanent change of home for the India Open.

As the country’s top event on the BWF World Series, the India Open is a significant part of India’s badminton calendar. The 2028 edition will give Guwahati the opportunity to host the event while the capital deals with the operational demands associated with the Republic Day period.

BAI points to World Championship feedback

The venue announcement came after Mishra expressed satisfaction with the response to the 2026 World Championship in New Delhi. He said the BAI had received praise from players, officials and members of the Badminton World Federation for the arrangements at that event.

That positive feedback followed criticism over playing conditions at the New Delhi venue during the India Open in the previous two seasons. Mishra cited Danish player Mia Blichfeldt as an example, saying she had been critical of conditions at the India Open earlier in the year and in the previous year, but later praised the organisers’ efforts at the World Championship.

“Yes, we have done it. So, all the players are happy,” Mishra told IANS after the World Championship. He added that appreciation had come not only from players but also from officials and BWF members.

For the BAI, the 2028 relocation and the planned 2029 return provide a defined solution to a scheduling issue while maintaining New Delhi’s place in the India Open’s immediate future. Guwahati’s hosting role is tied specifically to the late-January 2028 edition, with the capital remaining the planned venue on either side of that year.