India vs France Live Updates, Thomas Cup 2026 Semi-finals: Ayush Shetty loses in straight games; Srikanth to face Alex Lanier next
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The Indian men’s badminton team will face France in the semi-finals of Thomas Cup 2026 on Saturday (May 2), with the winner set to meet the victorious team of the other semi-final clash between defending champions China and hosts Denmark.
India will be without their star singles player Lakshya Sen for this semi-final clash, with the 24-year-old shuttler ruled out due to injured elbow. He sustained the injury during his match against Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the quarters.
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has announced that Sen has been rested as a precautionary measure and to allow him adequate recovery time to be “optimal condition for the final, should India progress.”
Related: Why will Lakshya Sen not play against France in Thomas Cup 2026 semi-finals?
In his place, Ayush Shetty will lead India’s singles charge while Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy are also set to be in action.
With France playing the Popov brothers both in singles and doubles, India will have to first play three singles before the tie moves to the doubles rubbers, making the encounter a tricky contest for the 2022 champions.
Meanwhile, France has reached this stage for the first time in the competition history. And has caused a number of upsets, including knocking out record 14-time champions Indonesia, to get there. They also defeated 2014 winners Japan in the quarters to make their first-ever semi-finals.
India saw off Chinese Taipei in dominant fashion to assure themselves a podium finish for the second time in three editions and will be confident of going further against an opponent, who are fairly new at this stage of the competition.
Where and when will India vs France semi-final match take place at Thomas Cup 2026?
The semi-final clash at Thomas Cup 2026 will be held in Horsens, Denmark on May 2 (Saturday). It is scheduled to begin at 6 pm local time and 9:30 pm Indian Time.
What is the line-up for the India vs France semi-finals?
MS: Ayush Shetty vs Christo Popov
MS: Kidambi Srikanth vs Alex Lanier
MS: HS Prannoy vs Toma Junior Popov
MD: Hariharan Amsakarunan/MR Arjun vs Eloi Adam/Leo Rossi
MD: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty vs Christo Popov/Toma Junior Popov
Why is Lakshya Sen absent from India’s line-up for the semi-final match against France?
Lakshya Sen is out with an elbow injury.
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