India women drawn with China in Uber Cup, men clubbed with Indonesia in Thomas Cup

Indian men's and women's badminton teams were drawn into moderate groups in the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup draw held on Friday by the Badminton World Federation.

Defending champions of the Thomas Cup, the Indian men's team was drawn in Group C along with 14-time champions Indonesia, Thailand, and England.

In the 2022 edition of the Thomas Cup, the Indian team recorded the historic title triumph defeating Indonesia in the final, and will look to defend the title this time.

India's group is moderate with Thailand and Indonesia proving to be worthy opponents to the Indian team.

Indian team is likely to have World number one doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty, world number nine HS Prannoy, World Championship medalist Lakshya Sen, and the experienced Kidambi Srikanth along with youngsters like Priyanshu Rajawat and Kiran George.

India's only headache will be the lack of a second doubles pair with MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila being inconsistent.

In the Uber Cup draw, the Indian women's team will be with China, Canada, and Singapore in Group A.

Fueled by the historic title at the Badminton Asia Team Championships this year, the Indian women's team will look to reach the final of the tournament for the first time.

India has been into semi-finals on three occasions in 1957, 2014, and 2016.

India was knocked out in the quarter-finals of the 2022 edition of Uber Cup after losing 0-3 to the hosts Thailand.

Led by the 17-year-old sensation Anmol Kharb, the Indian women's team got better of China, Japan, and Thailand in the final to clinch the historic Badminton Asia Team title.

With PV Sindhu back into the circuit, she is expected to lead India with Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand, Ashwini Ponnappa/Tanisha Crasto, and Anmol Kharb.