Indian men’s doubles stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the next round of the BWF World Championships without taking the court after their scheduled opponents withdrew from the tournament.
The fifth-seeded Indian pair were due to begin their campaign on August 19 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium after receiving a bye in the opening round.
Satwik and Chirag were scheduled to face Scotland’s Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle. However, Dunn suffered an injury while competing in his mixed doubles match, forcing the Scottish combination to withdraw and handing the Indians a walkover.
The unexpected passage means Satwik and Chirag can now prepare for what could be a significantly tougher test in the next round. They are in line to face Indonesian 12th seeds Raymond Indra and Nicolas Joaquin as they continue their push for another World Championships medal.
The Asian Games gold medallists arrived at the home World Championships in strong form and with confidence following their Singapore Open triumph in May. That victory provided another boost for a partnership that has established itself among India’s leading medal contenders on the international badminton circuit.
Beyond progressing through the tournament, Satwik and Chirag are chasing another significant piece of Indian badminton history.
The pair have already won two World Championships bronze medals, securing their first in 2022 before adding another in 2025. Those results made them the only Indian men’s doubles combination to claim multiple medals at the World Championships.
Their achievements also place them among a select group of Indian players to have enjoyed repeated success at the prestigious tournament. Only P.V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal have collected more World Championships medals for India.
A podium finish at the current edition would give Satwik and Chirag their third World Championships medal and further strengthen their standing among the country’s most accomplished badminton players.
Their campaign may have started without a competitive match following the Scottish pair’s withdrawal, but a potentially demanding Indonesian challenge now awaits as the fifth seeds look to make the most of competing on home soil.
