Guwahati, India – India, the host nation, has been placed in Group H of the BWF World Junior Team Championship (Suhandinata Cup), scheduled to take place in Guwahati from October 6 to 11. As the second seed in the competition, India is a strong favorite to advance to the quarterfinals, where only group winners will progress. India will face Hong Kong, Nepal, and Ghana in its group stage matches.
Tournament Structure and Key Teams
The prestigious global junior team event returns to India for the first time since 2008 and will feature 37 teams from across the world.
Other prominent teams and their group draws include:
- Group A: Top seed Thailand, Denmark, Slovenia, and Cook Islands.
- Group C: Defending champion Indonesia, Türkiye, Romania, and the Netherlands.
- Group E: 14-time champion China, Japan, Singapore, Brazil, and Bhutan.
New “Relay Format” to Be Piloted
This year’s championship will serve as a testing ground for the BWF’s innovative “relay format”. Each team tie will be a best-of-three sets match. Within each set, five matches will be played consecutively: Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles.
The unique aspect of this format is the cumulative scoring within a set:
- The first match will be played until one team reaches nine points.
- The score from the end of the first match will carry over to the second match, which will continue cumulatively. Play will proceed in this manner across all five matches until one of the teams reaches a total of 45 points to win the set.
- The team winning two out of the three sets will be declared the winner of the tie.
This format aims to enhance excitement and engagement by making every point crucial and ensuring all disciplines contribute to the overall score.
Indian Team Selection Trials Underway
For the Indian team, medal winners from the recent Badminton Asia Junior Championships 2025 have secured direct entry. The remaining spots on the squad will be determined through a selection trial process, which is currently underway from August 9 to 13 in Guwahati.
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