Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu has been seeded ninth in women’s singles for the upcoming BWF World Championships, while India’s star men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have received the fifth seeding for the tournament in New Delhi.
The championships will be played at the Indira Gandhi Stadium from August 17-23, with the seedings announced on Tuesday. The draw is scheduled to take place in New Delhi on Wednesday, and the final seedings could still change if any seeded player withdraws before then.
The seedings matter because they shape the draw and potential matchups across the week, influencing which top contenders players may face earlier or later in the tournament.
India’s seeded entries and how seedings were decided
Sindhu, the current Japan Open champion, leads India’s women’s singles challenge as the ninth seed. In men’s doubles, Rankireddy and Shetty—2022 Asian Games gold medallists—have been placed fifth on the seeding list.
India will have two entries each in all five categories at the World Championships, with at least one seeded entry in four of the five categories. Alongside Sindhu and the men’s doubles pair, former world championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen has been seeded 14th in men’s singles. In mixed doubles, the pairing of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto has been seeded 15th.
The qualification and seeding timelines were also outlined. Players qualified for the World Championships based on their world rankings as of April 28, 2026. However, the seedings were determined using the world rankings dated July 28, 2026.
With the draw set to be conducted on Wednesday, the final seeding list remains subject to change in the event of any withdrawals among seeded players before the draw is made.
Top seeds across categories
In men’s singles, China’s Shi Yuqi, the reigning world champion, is the top seed. In women’s singles, South Korea’s An Se Young is seeded number one.
Japan’s women’s singles world champion Akane Yamaguchi is seeded second. The third and fourth seeds in women’s singles have gone to China’s Wang Zhi Yi and Chen Yufei.
In men’s doubles, South Korea’s Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae sit atop the seeding chart. China’s Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning are the top seeds in women’s doubles. In mixed doubles, China’s Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping are seeded number one.
What happens next in New Delhi
Attention now turns to Wednesday’s draw in New Delhi, which will map out the early-round paths for seeded and unseeded players alike. With the tournament running from August 17-23 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, the confirmed seedings and the draw will provide the clearest picture of potential matchups for India’s leading contenders, including Sindhu in women’s singles and Rankireddy-Shetty in men’s doubles, as well as seeded Indian entries in men’s singles and mixed doubles.
Any changes to the seeding list due to withdrawals before the draw could still alter the landscape, but as it stands, India’s top names have their seedings in place ahead of the World Championships in the capital.
