India’s HS Prannoy is gearing up for a highly anticipated return to competitive badminton at the Malaysia Open 2025, set to begin on Tuesday at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur. This BWF Super 1000 event marks his first appearance since exiting in the Round of 16 at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he faced a defeat against compatriot Lakshya Sen. Ranked 26th globally, Prannoy is determined to reclaim his form as the new season unfolds, reports Olympics.com.
Joining Prannoy is world No. 12 Lakshya Sen, who had an impressive run last year, including a semi-final finish at the Paris Olympics and a victory at the Syed Modi International in December. Priyanshu Rajawat, a member of India’s historic Thomas Cup-winning team, will also represent the country in the men’s singles category.
In men’s doubles, India’s top-ranked pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, are the nation’s sole representatives. Ranked ninth globally, the duo is considered India’s strongest hope in the doubles category.
The women’s singles contingent, in the absence of PV Sindhu, includes Aakarshi Kashyap, Anupama Upadhyaya, and Malvika Bansod. Meanwhile, the women’s doubles team will be led by Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, the sixth seeds coming off a title win at the Syed Modi International. They will be joined by eighth-seeded Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto, as well as the sibling duo of Rutaparna and Swetaparna Panda.
In the mixed doubles category, India has three teams in contention: Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, Sathish Kumar Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath, and Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh. Notably, the latter two pairings will face each other in the opening round of the event.
The Malaysia Open 2025 marks the first event of the BWF World Tour season.
