Badminton
2026 Thomas Cup: India lose 2-3 to China in final group tie – Highlights
Catch all the highlights from the 2026 Thomas Cup tie between India and China.
Lakshya Sen at 2026 India Open (Photo credit: BAI)
The Indian men's badminton team take on heavyweight China in what is their final group stage tie at the 2026 Thomas Cup in Horsens, Denmark, on Wednesday.
Both teams have already booked their spot in the knockout rounds with two wins in their previous two ties and entered this tie to extend their unbeaten streak.
China defeated India 3-2 on the day and topped the group, which might help them get a favourable draw heading into the quarter-finals.
India fielded a full-strength team with Lakshya Sen playing the first singles, and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty competed in the first doubles match.
The others in action for India were Ayush Shetty, Hariharan Amsakarunan/ MR Arjun, and veteran HS Prannoy.
As it happened:
Live Updates
- 29 April 2026 8:00 PM IST
That's it from our coverage of the group stage of the 2026 Thomas & Uber Cup 2026
Do tune in for the knockout stage as the Indian men's team has progressed to the quarterfinals.
- 29 April 2026 7:50 PM IST
India 2-3 China!
- MS1: Lakshya Sen (IND) lost 19-21, 21-8, 12-21 to Li Shi Feng (CHN)
- MD1: Satwik-Chirag (IND) lost 13-21, 21-13, 24-26 to Liang-Wang (CHN)
- MS2: Ayush Shetty (IND) bt. 17-21, 21-13, 21-15 Weng Hong Yang (CHN)
- MD2: Hariharan-Arjun (IND) lost 17-21, 13-21 to He-Ren (CHN)
- MS3: HS Prannoy (IND) bt. 20-22, 21-19, 21-11 Lu Guang Zu (CHN)
- 29 April 2026 7:40 PM IST
Prannoy dominates the final game to win the match comfortably
Final Score: HS Prannoy 20-22, 21-19, 21-11 Lu Guang Zu (CHN)
- 29 April 2026 7:25 PM IST
HS Prannoy forces a decider!
Coming from behind in the later stage with four consecutive points, Prannoy closed out the second game, 21-19, to force a decider.
Match Score: HS Prannoy 20-22, 21-19, 0-0* Lu Guang Zu (CHN)
- 29 April 2026 6:25 PM IST
India 1-3 China!
China won the tie with a straight-game win in the second doubles match and finished at the top of the group ahead of India.
India, which has, however, already qualified for the knockout stage, will end the group stage with a defeat.
Although the tie's result is confirmed, HS Prannoy and Lu Guang Zu will still be in action in the final match of the tie in the third singles.
- 29 April 2026 6:19 PM IST
Hariharan-Arjun concedes the match, giving China the win in the tie.
Game-2: Hariharan-Arjun (IND) 14-21 He-Ren (CHN)
- 29 April 2026 6:09 PM IST
Indian pair made a lot of unforced errors; trails big at second mid-game break
Game-2: Hariharan-Arjun (IND) 4-11 He-Ren (CHN)
- 29 April 2026 6:01 PM IST
These Chinese pair showed some precision and won final four points to take the game
Game-1: Hariharan-Arjun (IND) 17-21 He-Ren (CHN)
- 29 April 2026 6:00 PM IST
No one is letting the other run away with a big lead in this closely matched game
Game-1: Hariharan-Arjun (IND) 17-17 He-Ren (CHN)
- 29 April 2026 5:55 PM IST
A couple of unforced errors from the Chinese duo and Indian pair back on level terms
Game-1: Hariharan-Arjun (IND) 12-12 He-Ren (CHN)
