2025 Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships: India vs Korea preview

After a blockbuster start to their campaign at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships, India will be back in action in Qingdao on Thursday (February 13) as they take on South Korea. Both the teams have already qualified for the quarterfinals, but this clash will decide who heads into the final eight undefeated.

On the singles end of things, India hold the clear upper hand in the men's event. The nation will likely be represented by either Paris Olympics semi-finalist Lakshya Sen or World Championships bronze medalist HS Prannoy. Meanwhile, Korea's best challenger in this event will either be World No. 135 Cho Geonyeop or World No. 187 Lee Yun Gyu, neither of whom look like a prominent threat for Sen or Prannoy.

However, statistics favor Korea when it comes to the women's singles match. With PV Sindhu out of the picture, India will be fielding Malvika Bansod, while the Korean side will likely send out World No. 19 Sim Yu Jin. Not only is Jin the higher ranked player, she also holds the advantage when it comes to the head-to-head record, having beaten Bansod 21-18, 21-19 last year.

Things will get a little more complicated in the doubles events of the tie between India and Korea at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships. While India will favor the pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty for the men's doubles match, Korea will likely pair Jin Yong with a promising youngster, given that Yong, alongside Kang Min Hyuk, had beaten the Indian pairing on home ground earlier this year.

The Indian women's doubles challenge will be spearheaded by either Ashwini Ponappa/Tanisha Crasto or Treesa Jolly/Gayathri Gopichand, both of whom will have a strong chance for the win. On the other end, the nation's mixed doubles match should feature either Satish Karunakar/Aadya Variyath or Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto.

Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships: India and Korea tied in Group D

At the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships, India have been placed in Group D alongside Korea and Macau. As of now, India and Korea are tied in the standings with one point each, both having beaten Macau 5-0 in their opening tie.

Elsewhere, defending champions China are sitting atop the rankings in Group A, with Chinese Taipei favored to join them in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Indonesia and Hong Kong are tied with one point each in Group B, and Indonesia’s upcoming clash with Malaysia will decide the two teams that will move forward from that group.

Last but not least, Japan and Thailand have booked a berth in the quarterfinals of the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships from Group C, both having beaten Kazakhstan.