Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: India’s badminton teams are heading into a challenging start at the upcoming Thomas Cup and Uber Cup, with both men’s and women’s sides drawn against strong opponents, including defending champions China. The tournament will be held in Horsens, Denmark from April 24 to May 3.
The Indian men’s team has been placed in Group A alongside China, Canada, and Australia. This is a tricky group, especially considering India had lost to China in the quarterfinals in the last edition.Similarly, the women’s team also finds itself in a difficult spot, grouped with China, along with hosts Denmark and Ukraine. In the previous edition, the Indian women were knocked out in the quarterfinals after losing to Japan.
India’s record in the tournament
India’s men had made history in 2022 by winning their first-ever Thomas Cup title, defeating Indonesia in the final. That win remains a big confidence booster for the team.This time too, there are positives. Lakshya Sen has been in great form recently and even defeated a top Chinese player on his way to finishing runner-up at the All England Championships. His performance could be key for India.Both Indian teams qualified based on world rankings. The tournament will feature 16 teams divided into four groups. Each group will play round-robin matches, and the top two teams will advance to the quarterfinals.Thomas Cup Draw
- Group A: China, India, Canada, Australia
- Group B: Japan, Malaysia, England, Finland
- Group C: Chinese Taipei, Denmark, Korea, Sweden
- Group D: Indonesia, France, Thailand, Algeria
Uber Cup Draw
- Group A: China, India, Denmark, Ukraine
- Group B: Japan, Malaysia, Turkey, South Africa
- Group C: Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Canada, Australia
- Group D: Korea, Thailand, Bulgaria
