Indian women’s badminton team gets tough draw

Japan, India, Korea and Indonesia were all placed in the top half of the draw, while China, Thailand and Chinese Taipei were the strong teams in the bottom half. Defending champion China, Thailand, Japan Korea and India received first-round byes, which means they will play directly in the quarter-finals.

If the Indian team beats Japan, it will take on either Korea, Indonesia or Hong Kong in the semi-finals. The Indian men’s team was handed an easier draw comparatively, as it takes on Maldives in its opening clash. If it wins that, India will take on host Indonesia, which received a first-round bye, in the quarter-finals.

While the top two seeds, China and host Indonesia, head straight into the quarter-finals, defending champion Korea will open its campaign against Thailand on Sunday. Japan and Malaysia will also lock horns in the other potential blockbuster on the opening day.

The Asian Games team competition follows a knock-out format, which means teams cannot afford to slip up even once. The matches will be decided by a best-of-five format. The draw for the individual championship will be carried out after the team finals on August 22.

The Indian men’s team will be led by Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy. PV Sindhu and India’s first Olympic medallist in badminton, Saina Nehwal, will be at the forefront in women’s category.