Newly-crowned World champion Loh Kean Yew, along with runner-up and top seed K. Srikanth, will be part of the star cast for the $400,000 Yonex-Sunrise India Open at the K.D. Jadhav Stadium here from January 11 to 16.
P.V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal will be the top two seeds in the women's singles. World No. 12 Busanan Ongbamrunghan (Thailand) and Jia Min Yeo (Singapore) are also part of the field that includes home talent Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap and Ashmita Chaliha.
The event, which opens the 2022 BWF season, will be played without spectators.
With Lakshya Sen joining the fray, three men’s singles medallists from the recent World championship will be on view.
H.S. Prannoy, P. Kashyap and Sameer Verma lend depth to the field.
In the men’s doubles, home favourites Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy could find the going tough against three-time World champion and World No. 2 Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan (Indonesia) and their compatriots Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto, ranked eighth.
Similarly, the field lacks stars in women’s doubles and mixed doubles, too. World No. 9 Jongkolphan Kititharal and Rawinda Prajongjai (Thailand) head the draw that includes the Indian combinations of Ashwini Ponappa-Sikki Reddy and P. Gayathri-Treesa Jolly.
