India’s Badminton Team for Asian Games 2026: How the Squad Compares With 2022

India will arrive at the 2026 Asian Games with a badminton squad that combines established stars, returning medal contenders, and an exciting new generation. 

The objective will be clear: improve on the three-medal haul from the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. India finished third on the badminton medal table in 2022, winning one gold, one silver, and one bronze. China topped the standings with four gold, three silver, and two bronze medals, while South Korea finished second with two gold, two silver and three bronze.

India's gold came through Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in men's doubles, and the silver came in the men's team event, while PV Sindhu secured bronze in women's singles.

Three medals was a respectable return, but the 2026 squad offers several reasons to believe India can challenge for more.

Satwik-Chirag remain India's biggest medal hope

The most obvious link between the two editions is the men's doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. The duo were India's biggest success story in Hangzhou, winning the men's doubles gold. They defeated South Korea's Choi Sol-gyu and Kim Won-ho in the final, confirming their position among the leading pairs in world badminton.

They return in the 2026 squad and will again carry significant expectations. However, India will not rely solely on Satwik and Chirag. Arjun Ramachandran and Hariharan Amsakarunan have also been selected in men's doubles, giving India another combination capable of making an impact.

That represents an important difference in terms of squad depth.

Men's singles has a new look

The 2022 men's singles campaign produced a bronze medal through HS Prannoy. He progressed through the knockout stages before reaching the semi-finals, where he lost to Li Shi Feng of China. Kidambi Srikanth, meanwhile, was eliminated in the Round of 16, while Lakshya Sen was also part of India's wider singles picture.

The 2026 squad has a distinctly different composition.

Lakshya Sen returns, but this time alongside Ayush Shetty. Shetty's emergence gives India another young men's singles player with the potential to make a deep run. The absence of Prannoy from the 2026 squad means India will not have the player who delivered the bronze medal in 2022. At the same time, the inclusion of Ayush gives the team an opportunity to introduce a new generation to the Asian Games stage.

For Lakshya, the tournament represents an important opportunity to convert his experience at major international events into an Asian Games medal.

Sindhu gets another opportunity

PV Sindhu remains India's biggest name in women's singles and will return for another Asian Games campaign. In 2022, Sindhu reached the semi-finals before losing to China's He Bingjiao. She subsequently secured the bronze medal, giving India its only singles medal from the edition.

The 2026 squad also includes Unnati Hooda, providing India with another women's singles option. Unnati's selection adds a younger dimension to the event, while Sindhu brings the experience of multiple Olympic and Asian Games campaigns. The challenge for India will be converting that combination of experience and youth into a deeper tournament run.

Women's doubles sees continuity

The women's doubles squad contains one particularly notable continuation from 2022.

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand return together after representing India in Hangzhou. In 2022, the pair reached the Round of 16 before being eliminated by South Korea's Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong. For 2026, they will once again form one of India's key women's doubles combinations.

They will be joined by Kaviya Selvam and Simran Singhi, giving India two women's doubles pairs. The presence of Treesa and Gayatri means India has a pair with previous Asian Games experience, while the additional combination provides greater depth.

Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto are the selected mixed doubles pair for 2026. Their inclusion gives India another route to a medal that was not part of the country's medal haul in 2022. India's ability to add mixed doubles success could ultimately prove decisive if the target is to surpass the three-medal tally from Hangzhou.

Team events could be crucial

Perhaps the most interesting comparison comes in the team competitions. India's men's team won silver in 2022, defeating Nepal and South Korea before losing to China in the final.

The 2026 men's team features a deep pool including Arjun MR, Ayush Shetty, Chirag Shetty, Dhruv Kapila, Hariharan Amsakarunan, Lakshya Sen, Prannoy Sunil Kumar, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Srikanth Kidambi, and Tharun Mannepalli.

This depth could give India several options when constructing the line-up for individual ties.

The women's team has also undergone significant change. The 2022 women's team included Sindhu, Ashmita Chaliha, Anupama Upadhyaya, Malvika Bansod, Treesa Jolly, Gayatri Gopichand, Tanisha Crasto, Ashwini Ponnappa, and others. India defeated Mongolia but lost 0-3 to Thailand and did not progress further.

The 2026 women's squad includes Sindhu, Unnati Hooda, Gayatri, Treesa, Tanisha, Devika Sihag, Isharani Baruah, Kaviya Selvam, Simran Singhi and Tanvi Sharma.

That gives India another chance to improve upon the disappointing team result from 2022.

Can India beat its 2022 medal tally?

India's 2022 badminton campaign ended with three medals: gold, silver, and bronze. The 2026 squad arguably has more avenues to challenge for the podium.

Satwik and Chirag will be expected to defend their men's doubles title, Sindhu will look to improve on her singles bronze, and Lakshya and Ayush provide two opportunities in men's singles. Treesa and Gayatri return with another chance in women's doubles, while Dhruv and Tanisha add the mixed doubles route.

The team events could also be decisive. There are no guarantees against the traditional Asian badminton powerhouses, particularly China, South Korea, Japan and Indonesia. But India's squad combines experience from the 2022 campaign with players who have emerged during the intervening four years.

In Hangzhou, India left with three medals.

In Aichi-Nagoya, the target will be to make that number bigger.

And with Satwik-Chirag, Sindhu, Lakshya, Ayush and a deeper collection of doubles combinations, India has the personnel to make that ambition realistic.