Thailand Masters: Kidambi Srikanth to spearhead Indian challenge
Former world number one Kidambi Srikanth will spearhead the Indian challenge at the Thailand Masters 2025 badminton tournament starting from Tuesday at Nimibutr Stadium in Pathumwan.
India will open defence of its title by taking on Thailand in their opening match of the Thomas Cup on 27 April to be played in Chengdu,China.
Defending champion India is placed in group C which also includes England and Indonesia
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While the Thomas Cup is the world badminton team championship for men, the Uber Cup is the women’s version. Both championships are held simultaneously biannually.
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India stunned Indonesia in the Thomas Cup 2022 final and qualified automatically for the Thomas Cup 2024 courtesy of being the defending champion.
India will their second match, against England on April 29 and conclude the group stage against Indonesia on May 1.
Indonesia are the most successful nation in Thomas Cup history with 14 titles.
Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team qualified for the Uber Cup after winning a gold medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships earlier this year.
The women’s team is placed in Group A and will take on Canada on April 27, Singapore on the following day and China, the most successful team in the Uber Cup history with 15 titles, on April 30.
The top two teams from each of the four groups (A–D) in the Thomas and Uber Cup qualify for the quarter-finals to be held over two days on May 2 and 3. The finals will be held on May 5.
The Indian team at the Thomas Cup will be led by world No. 1 doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and world championships medallists in singles – HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth among others.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, country’s top-ranked women’s doubles pair Ashwini Ponnappa-Tanisha Crasto and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Gayatri Gopichand-Treesa Jolly opted out of this year’s Uber Cup.
Subsequently, India have fielded a young squad for the Uber Cup that features 17-year-old national champion Anmol Kharb, Ashmita Chaliha and Tanvi Sharma among others.
Schedule;
Thomas Cup (IST)
April 27, Saturday: India vs Thailand – 3:30 PM
April 29, Monday: India vs England – 7:00 AM
May 1, Wednesday: India vs Indonesia – 5:00 PM
Uber Cup
April 27, Saturday: India vs Canada – 10:30 AM
April 28, Sunday: India vs Singapore – 6:00 AM
April 30, Tuesday: India vs China – 7:00 AM
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