Why will PV Sindhu miss All England Open 2026?

Sindhu was stranded in Dubai due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.

Indian badminton star PV Sindhu has been ruled out of the All England Open 2026. Sindhu had departed from India two days back for the competition. Her flight from Bangalore to Birmingham included a stopover in Dubai.

Upon reaching Dubai, hours ahead of her connecting flight, Iran attacked the city and other key areas. Once hailed as the safest place on Earth, the United Arab Emirates became a victim of the war between Israel-USA and Iran. America’s large number of assets in the UAE made the region vulnerable to attacks from Iran.

While most missiles and drones were intercepted, some managed to land, and other damages were caused by debris. Even the Dubai International Airport, usually the busiest airport in the world, was damaged.

Sindhu, like thousands of others, was left stranded at the airport initially. She narrated her ordeal on social media, recalling the tense hours when her coach closely evaded the attack.

“A few hours ago, there was an explosion close to where we were holed up at the airport. My coach had to quickly run out of the area as he was closest to the smoke and debris. It was an extremely tense and scary moment for all of us. We are all safe now and have been moved to a more secure place”, Sindhu confirmed.

The two-time Olympic medallist will now miss the competition, which begins on May 3. She was slated to play her first round against Thailand’s Supanida Katethong. Sindhu has now been replaced by Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi.

After nearly three days, Sindhu returned home safely in Bengaluru. She thanked the Dubai authorities and staff for their help and co-operation and confirmed her absence from the competition.

Will other Indians take part in All England Open 2026?

India’s singles No. 1 Lakshya Sen will lead the country’s hopes alongside young sensation Ayush Shetty. Both reached the UK without any issues. Sen has been drawn against China’s Shi Yu Qi, who is also the World No. 1, in the opening round.

Malvika Bansod and Unnati Hooda are set to compete from the women’s division. Bansod takes on Tokyo Olympics champion Chen Yufei in the opener, while Hooda escaped from the airport chaos and reached the venue just hours before the tournament.

Former No. 1 doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will come up against Malaysia’s Kang Khai Xing and Aaron Tai in the first round, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will play Sayaka Hirota and Ayako Sakuramoto from Japan.

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