The Bank of Ningbo Badminton Asia Championships 2026 (43rd edition) begins tomorrow, April 7, 2026, in Ningbo, China. This premier BWF individual continental event runs until April 12 and offers a prize pool of USD 550,000 along with vital ranking points ahead of upcoming major tournaments.
Venue and Timing
•Venue: Ningbo Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium, No. 1280, Yunfei Road, Jiangbei District, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China.
•Dates: April 7 to April 12, 2026.
•Prize Money: USD 550,000.
Daily Schedule (All times in China Standard Time - CST, UTC+8):
•Tuesday, April 7: Start of play at 09:00 - Qualification group matches and Mixed Doubles preliminaries.
•Wednesday, April 8: Start of play at 09:00 - Early rounds across events.
•Thursday, April 9: Start of play at 11:00 - Round of 16.
•Friday, April 10: Start of play at 11:00 - Quarter-finals.
•Saturday, April 11: Semi-finals.
•Sunday, April 12: Finals.
For Indian Viewers (IST): India is 2.5 hours behind CST. Sessions starting at 09:00 CST begin around 06:30 AM IST, while 11:00 CST sessions start around 08:30 AM IST. Live coverage is expected on BWF platforms or regional broadcasters.
Top Contenders and Expectations
Asia's finest shuttlers headline the draw. In men's singles, Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn (reigning champion) will look to defend his title against strong challenges from China's Shi Yuqi and Li Shifeng, Indonesia's Jonatan Christie, and Singapore's Loh Kean Yew.
Women's singles features a star-studded field with Olympic champion An Se-young (Korea), defending champion Chen Yufei (China), Wang Zhiyi, and Japan's Akane Yamaguchi. China is tipped to dominate the overall medal tally due to home advantage and squad depth, particularly in doubles events.
India's Squad and Outlook
India has announced a competitive squad, led by Lakshya Sen in men's singles and two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu in women's singles. Other key names likely include Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy, and emerging talents in doubles and mixed categories.
Note: The top men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have withdrawn due to injury (Rankireddy's recurring shoulder issue), significantly weakening India's prospects in that discipline.
Expectations: Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu shoulder India's main medal hopes. With favourable draws, both can aim for quarter-finals or semi-finals. India has shown steady progress in recent Asian events, but the overwhelming strength of hosts China, Japan, Indonesia, and Korea makes podium finishes challenging. Young players will gain valuable exposure against top Asian opposition.
The championships promise explosive rallies, tactical battles, and high-intensity matches in Ningbo. Fans can track live scores and results on official BWF channels. Best wishes to all participants, especially Team India!