After receiving a first-round bye, fifth-seeded Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were scheduled to start their BWF World Championships campaign on August 19 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
However, Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle of Scotland, who were supposed to play them, withdrew after Dunn sustained an injury during his mixed doubles match, giving the Indian duo a clear advance to the next round.
“The Indian pair are through to the BWF World Championships 2026 pre-quarters after receiving a walkover,” Badminton Association of India (BAI) said in a social media post
Satwik-Chirag To Focus On Indonesia Challenge Now
After winning the Singapore Open in May, the Asian Games gold medalists are full of confidence going into this home edition. They will now concentrate on a potentially more difficult matchup with Raymond Indra and Nicolas Joaquin of Indonesia, who are ranked 12th.
Satwik and Chirag are also trying to increase their tally of medals they have won in the World Championships. They are the only Indian men’s doubles team to win multiple medals at the Worlds, having won bronze in both 2022 and 2025. Only Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu have won more medals for India at the World Championships. They would further solidify their status as the greatest Indian badminton players if they won a third medal here.
India Performing Well In BWF World Championships
Earlier in the day, the mixed doubles pairing of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila made it to the pre-quarterfinals of the Championships in New Delhi. Crasto and Kapila outclassed the pairing of Leong Iok Chon and Ng Weng Chi from Macau by 21-11, 21-11 in their round of 32 match. Earlier, produced a commanding comeback to lead ‘s charge on Day 2 of the competition, defeating Austria’s Collins Valentine Filimon in three games.
Sen recovered from a slow start to beat Filimon 16-21, 21-8, 21-4 in 45 minutes and advance from the men’s singles Round of 64. In women’s singles, Unnati Hooda also progressed after overcoming Myanmar’s Thet Htar Thuzar 22-20, 21-16 in the opening round. Hooda was made to work hard in the opening game as the two shuttlers remained close throughout. The Indian held her nerve in the closing stages to take it 22-20 before gaining greater control in the second game and completing the victory in straight games.