India’s hopes of a deep run in the men’s doubles draw at the Indonesia Open 2026 suffered a major setback after star pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty withdrew from the tournament due to injury.
The former world No. 1 duo were forced to retire midway through their opening-round clash against Malaysia’s Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing on Wednesday, bringing an abrupt end to their campaign in Jakarta.
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) later confirmed that Satwiksairaj’s injury was the reason behind the withdrawal. The governing body added that the pair will now prioritise recovery and rehabilitation before returning to competition later this season.
“Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have withdrawn from the POLYTRON Indonesia Open 2026 due to the former’s injury. The pair will now focus on recovery and rehabilitation as they prepare for the important tournaments ahead. We wish Satwik a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing the duo back on court soon,” the BAI said in a statement.
Notably, the star pair’s campaign ends after having arrived in Jakarta with solid form behind them. The Satwik-Chirag duo ended their two-year drought on the BWF World Tour, having won the Singapore Open men’s doubles title last week.
It was their first World Tour triumph since the Thailand Open two years ago. The Indian doubles pair registered a come-from-behind win over Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Fikri in the men’s doubles final. They dominated the summit clash after losing the opening game against the third-seeded Indonesian pair to win 18-21, 21-17, 21-16 in an hour and 13 minutes to become the first Indian doubles combination to clinch the Singapore Open.
With the Satwik-Chirag pair out of the tournament, India’s Indonesia Open campaign now rests in the hands of singles player Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Ayush Shetty and Kidambi Srikanth, with MR Arjun/Hariharan Amsakarunan being the sole doubles pair left.
On the other hand, veteran PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda, and Malvika Bansod headline the women’s singles category at the tournament for India. The women’s doubles include Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand, while the mixed doubles category includes Rohan Kapoor/Ruthvika Shivani Gadde and Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto.
(With agency inputs)