Top five potential medal hopefuls from India at All England Open 2022

No shuttler from the country has won a medal at the Super 1000 event in the last eight years.

India’s success at the All England Open is not something to boast about. The country has managed to secure only three medals, with the last one being won by Saina Nehwal in 2015.

However, there’s been no lack of effort from the Indian team, which has always missed out on the title by fine margins. Even in 2022, the players are expected to perform extremely well and if things fall into place, then a podium finish could materialize.

Let’s have a look at five Indian players who are expected to fetch a medal at this year’s All England Open.

5. P.V. Sindhu

P.V. Sindhu has always been among the medal contenders when it comes to big tournaments like the All England Open. Though she is considered one of the best-ever Indian athletes, her performances at the competition haven't been upto the mark.

Sindhu made her first appearance at the All England Open in 2012. Since then, she has managed to reach the semi-finals only twice, the most recent one being last year. The two-time Olympic medalist would look to test her fortunes once again in the prestigious event. This time, she would aim to finish at the top of the podium.

4. Srikanth Kidambi

Former World No. 1 Srikanth Kidambi has had a topsy-turvy career in the recent past. After facing defeats at early stages in most of the tournaments, he found a ray of hope after winning silver at the World Championships in 2021.

Srikanth’s record at the All England Open hasn’t been as impressive as the rest of his career. He has only managed to reach the quarter-finals once. But, his current form would surely allow him to pierce through the toughest challenges and head towards victory.

3. H.S. Prannoy

H.S. Prannoy has posed a serious threat to big players every time and produced unexpected results when he has his day. The player has even managed to defeat giants like Viktor Axelsen when in his groove.

However, it has been very long since Prannoy has made his mark on the big stage. If he manages to find the groove that works for him, then he could well eye a medal at the All England Open.

2. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty

The explosive pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have a solid record in the last few years. The pair also qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where they had to face an unexpected exit from the tournament because of an inadequacy of points. They also managed to win a gold medal at this year's India Open. In an exclusive interview with Khel Now, the duo revealed their ambitions of winning medals at the biggest tournaments of the year.

This ambition, coupled with the expert advice of newly-appointed doubles coach Tan Kim Her will surely help them attain the first doubles medal for India at the All England Open.

1. Lakshya Sen

Lakshya Sen is undoubtedly the most in-form player on the Indian badminton circuit right now. The youngster stole the spotlight when he became the youngest Indian shuttler to win a medal at the World Championships in 2021. He also went on to clinch a gold medal at the India Open 2022.

Recently, he defeated Olympic champion and World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen at the German Open. Sen has surely set the bar high for this year’s All England Open, as he has produced astonishing results against big players in the past few months. The youngster is going to the one to look out for at the Super 1000 event.

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