Lakshya Sen Leads Promising Indian Contingent at Malaysia Masters 2026

Lakshya Sen, the rising star of Indian badminton, will spearhead the 26-member contingent representing India at the Malaysia Masters 2026, which kicks off at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. The highly anticipated BWF Super 500 event will be accessible for live streaming in India, as reported by Olympics.com.

Fielding a squad filled with young talent, India will see the absence of PV Sindhu, who has withdrawn, and the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, finalists at last week's Thailand Open, who have also opted out. Leading the charge in the men's singles category is eighth-seeded Lakshya Sen, joined by HS Prannoy, reigning champion of the 2023 Malaysia Masters, Kiran George, and Tharun Mannepalli. S Sankar Muthusamy will enter the competition from the qualifiers.

In the men's doubles category, MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan stand as India's sole representatives in the absence of the top-ranked duo Satwik-Chirag. While Sindhu, a two-time Malaysia Masters champion, initially planned to compete, she has since withdrawn. On the women's side, Unnati Hooda, seeded sixth, leads a diverse group, including Malvika Bansod, Anmol Kharb, and others. The absence of Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand sees Rutaparna and Swetaparna Panda, as well as Ashwini Bhat/Shikha Gautam, taking the baton in women's doubles.

(With inputs from agencies.)