In a nail-biting encounter at the Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) 2026 in Qingdao, the Indian men’s team clinched a dramatic victory over Singapore to secure their spot in the quarterfinals. The match, played on Wednesday at the Qingdao Conson Gymnasium, kept fans on the edge of their seats as both teams traded blows in Group C.
The Indian campaign got off to a shaky start when Lakshya Sen fell to former world champion Loh Kean Yew in a three-game thriller, 21-16, 19-21, 21-16. But the duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty restored parity with a dominant doubles win, dismantling their opponents 21-10, 21-8. Ayyansh Shetty then put India ahead by defeating Jia Heng Jason Teh 21-17, 21-15 in the second men’s singles.
Tension mounted in the second doubles as Prithvi Roy and K Sai Prateek won the first game convincingly but faltered in the next two, losing 21-8, 21-23, 20-22 to Nge Joo Gee and Donovan Wyland V. This set the stage for former world number one Kidambi Srikanth, who delivered under pressure, beating Jia Wei Joel Koh 21-15, 21-16 in the decisive third singles to seal the win.
Meanwhile, the defending champion Indian women’s team kicked off their Group Y campaign with a flawless 5-0 sweep over Myanmar. This strong start positions them well ahead of their next clash against last year’s runners-up, Thailand, on Thursday.
The BATC serves as Asia’s qualifying event for the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in April-May at Horsens, Denmark. India’s men’s team now eyes a deep run, buoyed by Srikanth’s heroics and the doubles firepower.