Xplorich
NEW DELHI: India’s star men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, have pulled out of the Indonesia Open 2026 after Satwik suffered an injury during their opening-round match in Jakarta. The duo was forced to retire midway through their contest against Malaysia’s Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing on Wednesday, bringing an early end to their campaign.The Badminton Association of India (BAI) later confirmed the withdrawal and said the pair would now focus on recovery before returning to action in upcoming tournaments. “Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have withdrawn from the POLYTRON Indonesia Open 2026 due to the former’s injury. The pair will now focus on recovery and rehabilitation as they prepare for the important tournaments ahead. We wish Satwik a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing the duo back on court soon,” reads the BAI statement.The withdrawal comes at an unfortunate time for the Indian pair, who had entered the tournament riding a wave of confidence. Just last week, Satwik and Chirag ended a two-year wait for a BWF World Tour title by winning the Singapore Open men’s doubles crown.The duo produced a memorable comeback in the Singapore Open final against Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Fikri. After losing the first game, they fought back strongly to win 18-21, 21-17, 21-16 and became the first Indian doubles pair to lift the Singapore Open title.With Satwik and Chirag out, India’s challenge at the Indonesia Open now rests on singles players Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Ayush Shetty and Kidambi Srikanth. In doubles, MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan remain the only Indian men’s pair in the draw.India will also be represented in women’s singles by PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda and Malvika Bansod, while Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand continue in women’s doubles. The mixed doubles challenge will be led by Rohan Kapoor/Ruthvika Shivani Gadde and Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto.
