India bowed out of the ongoing Sudirman Cup after getting hammered by China 5-0 before going down to Thailand 4-1. India will play Finland in their last group stage match and they will hope to finish on a high. Mixed doubles has been the biggest problem for India as they have failed to field a competitive pair and men singles players- Srikanth and Praneeth have only partnered Rutuparna Panda and Tanisha Crasto respectively, who have not shown any fight.
Men’s singles department have also been a big disappointment for India and it may be time for BAI to think of the future and give more exposures to youngsters like Lakshya Sen and Kiran George.
India is without the services of top women’s shuttler in PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal and the campaign will be led by former Khelo India Games champion Malvika Bansod and Aditi Bhatt in women’s singles.
Chirag Shetty suffered a muscle pull and was advised a one week of rest which led to the team of Satwiksairaj and Shetty to miss out the multi team event. In their absence, Dhruv Kapila and MR Arjun will have to deliver the goods in men’s doubles.
The pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy will lead in the women’s doubles discipline.
Our prediction for the tie- India winning 5-0
Live streaming and TV broadcasting
For the delight of the badminton fans in India, the tie will be broadcasted live on Star Sport 3 & HD from 6:30 PM IST on 29th September 2021 from Energia Arena Court in Vantaa, Finland.
Live streaming will be available on hotstar.com or Hotstar mobile application.
Indian team–B. Sai Praneeth, K. Srikanth, R. Satwiksairaj, Dhruv Kapila and M.R. Arjun, Malvika Bansod, Aditi Bhatt, Tanisha Crasto, Rutuparna Panda, Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy.
