Young Indian Badminton Pros Make Their First Appearance on the World Stage

India is set to host the BWF World Championships in August 2026, a milestone that brings the sport’s biggest tournament to the subcontinent after more than a decade. While the spotlight will naturally fall on the country’s established stars, four promising athletes are ready to make their world‑championship debut. Unnati Hooda, the 17‑year‑old who captured the Odisha Open Super 100 in 2022, Ayush Shetty, bronze medallist at the 2023 Junior Worlds, and the women’s doubles duo Simran Singhi and Kavipriya Selvam, who have climbed to a career‑best world ranking of 38, will all be competing for the first time.