The Indian men's badminton team could only achieve bronze in the Asian Games 2026. Last time, the men's team had won the silver medal but after a 1-3 defeat at the hands of China in the semi-finals, it had to be content with silver. The only win for the team was recorded by Satwiksai Raj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. Satwik-Chirag defeated world champion pair Wang Chang and Liang Wei Keng 21-11, 22-20. However, he did not get enough support from other players of the team, due to which India had to face defeat. Now Satwik-Chirag are going to defend their title in men's doubles.

Satwik-Chirag's path to the semi-finals seems easy. In the first round, they will face Thailand's P Sukpun and Pakkapon Teeratsakul. After this, he may face competition from Indonesia's Leo Roli Carnado and Daniel Martin. If they win this, they will have to play against South Korea's Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae.

In the women's category, the Indian team had missed out on a medal after losing to Japan in the quarter-finals. PV Sindhu and Unnati Hooda were defeated by their Japanese rivals. Recovering from this disappointment, Indian players will now have to compensate in the individual competition.

Lakshya-Sindhu got a tough draw

Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu have got tough draws in the individual category. World No. 14 Lakshya has faced first round defeats in several consecutive matches before the Asiad but he performed well in the quarter-finals against Japan's Kodai Naroka. However, he could not maintain the momentum in the semi-finals against China's Shi Yu Qi. Lakshya had got a bye in the first round and now he will play against former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the second round. If he defeats Loh, he will face world number one Jonathan Christie of Indonesia.

Ayush, who defeated Shi Yu Qi in the Delhi World Championship, has also got a bye in the first round but he may face Chou Tien Chen of Taiwan in the third round. Two-time Olympic champion Sindhu will play seventh seed Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan in the second round after getting a bye in the first round. If he wins, he will have to play Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei of China.

Unnati will face North Korea's Yu Mi Song in the first round, while in the third round she may face world number six player Kusuma Vardani, daughter of Indonesia.

Trisa-Gayatri's path in women's doubles also difficult

In women's doubles, Trisa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will face Hong Kong's Lok Lok Lui and Hiu Yan Tsang. The World Championship bronze medalist pair may face Japan's Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto, who are ranked third in the world rankings, in the second round.

India had won three medals in the 2023 Asian Games held in Hangzhou. Satwik-Chirag won gold, men's team won silver and HS Prannoy won bronze in men's singles.