New Delhi, September 21: Asian U-17 champion Tanvi Patri, silver medallist Shaina Manimuthu and India Junior International Grand Prix winner Dev Ruparelia will headline India's 18-member squad for the BWF World Junior Championships, scheduled to be held in Cairo, Egypt, from October 5 to 10.
The squad was finalised after selection trials conducted at the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati from September 18 to 21, in line with the guidelines of the Badminton Association of India's (BAI) Junior Selection Committee.
India, seeded fifth in the tournament, won a bronze medal in the previous edition. The team has been drawn in Group D1 alongside Peru and Brazil.
To reach the quarterfinals, India will first have to finish on top of Group D1 before
winning a playoff against the winner of Group D2. The latter features ninth seeds Indonesia, Macau China and Senegal.
"India has a strong chance of delivering another impressive performance," BAI secretary general Sanjay Mishra said in a statement.
"Our junior players are carrying good momentum from the U17 Asian Championships, where the team reached the final. We waited for the medal-winning players to return before completing the selection trials to ensure everyone had a fair opportunity," he added.
The BAI also confirmed that the Suhandinata Cup team event will be played under the new 3x55 relay scoring system following a BWF Council decision for 2026. The individual Eye Level Cup events, scheduled from October 11 to 17, will use the 3x15 scoring format.
Before travelling to Egypt, the Indian squad will attend a dedicated World Junior Camp at the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati from September 25 to October 2.
India Squad
- Boys' singles: Nishchal Chand, Dev Ruparelia, Jagsher Singh Khangurra, Akhil Reddy Bobba
- Girls' singles: Parul Choudhary, Tanvi Reddy Andluri, Shaina Manimuthu, Tanvi Patri
- Boys' doubles: Aathish Sreenivas PV/Yogansh Singh, Pavan Suresh/Punith Suresh
- Girls' doubles: Aanya Bisht/Angel Punera, Diya Bheemaiah B/Baruni Parshwal
- Mixed doubles: Divyansh Agrawal/Varna Prabhuanand, Yogansh Singh/Aanya Bisht
