Saina Nehwal and B Sai Praneeth to spearhead India Challenge at Thomas & Uber Cup, PV Sindhu left out
In the absence of PV Sindhu, Saina would lead the Indian challenge.
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The BAI announced the squads for the Thomas and Uber Cup and Sudirman Cup on Sunday. PV Sindhu has been left out of the team after the shuttler put in a request to the association. Sudirman Cup will be played from September 26 in Finland, while Thomas and Uber Cup will start on October 9.
Badminton Association of India announced the squads for Thomas and Uber Cup Finals on Sunday, with Saina Nehwal and B Sai Praneeth leading the women's and men's teams respectively. TheĀ prestigious competitionĀ is scheduled to be played in Denmark from October 9-17. Apart from that, the BAI has also announced a 12-member strong team for the Sudirman Cup, which will take placeĀ from September 26 to October 3 in Finland.
Saina Nehwal will be accompanied by -Ā Ā Malvika Bansod, Aditi Bhatt and Tasnim Mir --Ā while the doubles pair will haveĀ Tanisha Crasto and Rutuparna Panda, who claimed the top spot in the trials.
On the other hand,Ā 10-member men's team will have Praneeth and the former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth, Kiran George and Sameer Verma. In the doubles, it will be Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy.
All these players have been selected on basis of trials conducted, while some attained automatic qualification with top-20 rankings.Ā PV Sindhu has not been included in the squad after she had requested for the same.Ā
"Other than the top-ranked Indians, we have selected players on the basis of their consistent show in the trials. In the absence of any tournaments, the trials and the new format helped us to zero in on the current in-form players as they have proved their abilities and have earned top rankings in the trials. I believe these youngsters along with the senior shuttlers will create a good combination and all the new faces will also get much-needed experience of playing top-tier tournaments like the Thomas and Uber Cup as well as the Sudirman Cup," BAI general secretary Ajay Singhania said.
In Thomas Cup, India has been placed in Group C along withĀ China with Netherlands and Tahiti. In the Uber Cup, Indian women haveĀ been drawn in Group B along with Thailand, Spain and Scotland.Ā
