Indian Men's Badminton Team Claims Bronze at Asian Games 2026

India Secures Bronze in Badminton at Asian Games

The Indian men's badminton squad achieved a bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games held in Aichi, Japan, following a 3-1 loss to China in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

In the men's doubles event, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty delivered India's sole victory, overcoming the reigning world champions Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang with scores of 21-11, 22-20.

In the opening match, Lakshya Sen faced Shi Yuqi, losing 21-16, 21-18. Although Lakshya began with a strong performance, Shi managed to rally back to win the first game. The Indian player fought hard in the second game, leveling at 16-16, but ultimately fell short as Shi secured the match, as reported by Olympics.com.

Satwik and Chirag, who are the current Asian Games champions in men's doubles, showcased an impressive display against the world No. 3 Chinese duo. They dominated the first game and maintained their composure in the second, even after the Chinese pair saved two match points to tie at 20-20. The Indian team converted their third match point, leveling the overall tie at 1-1.

Ayush Shetty then faced world No. 12 Li Shi Feng, but lost 21-19, 21-13, putting China ahead 2-1.

In a must-win situation for India, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun took on He Ji Ting and Liu Yi. Unfortunately, the Indian pair lost 21-16, 17-21, 21-9, which dashed India's hopes of reaching the men's team final for the second consecutive time.

India had already secured a medal by defeating the host nation Japan 3-0 in the quarter-finals, with victories from Lakshya Sen, Satwik-Chirag, and Ayush Shetty.

After winning a silver medal at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games, India has now finished on the podium for two consecutive editions but fell short of a final appearance.

At the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023, India secured a silver medal after a narrow 3-2 defeat to China in the gold medal match.