Tanvi Patri, Shaina Manimuthu and Dev Ruparelia to lead 18-member India squad for BWF World Junior Championships 2026
India have named an 18-member squad for the BWF World Junior Championships 2026 in Cairo, Egypt, with newly crowned Asian U17 champion Tanvi Patri, continental silver medallist Shaina Manimuthu and India Junior International Grand Prix winner Dev Ruparelia leading the contingent after selection trials at the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati from September 18–21.
India enter the tournament off the back of a team bronze and an individual silver from last year’s edition in Guwahati; the team competition (Suhandinata Cup) features a group stage format in which fifth-seeded India has been drawn in Group D1 with Peru and Brazil. To reach the quarterfinals India must top Group D1 and then win a playoff tie against the winner of Group D2, which contains ninth seeds Indonesia, Macau China, and Senegal. The selection was completed under the guidelines of the Badminton Association of India’s Junior Selection Committee.
The squad is headed by Patri, Manimuthu and Ruparelia, who bring recent continental and international titles into the tournament. Related coverage notes that Tanvi Patri was crowned U17 champion at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships 2026. Those three players have been named as the leaders of the 18-member team bound for Cairo.
Selection trials were staged at the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati from September 18 to 21, with the BAI Junior Selection Committee overseeing the process. BAI General Secretary Sanjay Mishra commented on the choices, saying: "India has a strong chance of delivering another impressive performance. Our junior players are carrying good momentum from the U17 Asian Championships, where the team reached the final. We waited for the medal-winning players to return before completing the selection trials to ensure everyone had a fair opportunity. Our boys and girls have worked extremely hard, and I am confident they can build on India’s podium finishes in Guwahati last year."
The BWF Council decision for 2026 alters match formats for the championships: the Suhandinata Cup will be played under the 3×55 relay scoring system while the individual Eye Level Cups will use the 3×15 scoring system. The Suhandinata Cup team event is scheduled from October 5–10 and the Eye Level Cups individual events from October 11–17, both to be held in Cairo, Egypt.
The girls’ singles entries named are Tanvi Patri, Shaina Manimuthu, Parul Choudhary and Tanvi Reddy Andluri. In boys’ singles the squad includes Dev Ruparelia, Nishchal Chand, Jagsher Singh Khangurra and Akhil Reddy Bobba.
In girls’ doubles India have named Aanya Bisht/Angel Punera and Diya Bheemaiah B./Baruni Parshwal, with the pairing of Aanya Bisht and Angel Punera noted as members of the Indian squad that won a historic team medal last year. Boys’ doubles selections are Aathish Sreenivas P.V./Yogansh Singh and Pavan Suresh/Punith Suresh, while mixed doubles pairs are Divyansh Agrawal/Varna Prabhuanand and Yogansh Singh/Aanya Bisht.
The immediate next step for the selected players is a dedicated World Junior Camp at the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati from September 25 to October 2, after which the team will travel to Cairo for the Suhandinata Cup (October 5–10) followed by the Eye Level Cups (October 11–17).