The India Open, the second tournament of the 2026 BWF World Tour season, is set to take place at the Indira Gandhi Arena from January 13-18. However, several players will not be in action in New Delhi, with injuries and illness once again playing a major role in shaping the field.
In addition to earlier confirmed absentees who also missed last week’s Malaysia Open including Viktor Axelsen, Li Shi Feng, Pornpawee Chochuwong, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung and Kie Nakanishi/Rin Iwanaga, here are other notable names who have withdrawn from the Super 750 tournament.
Anders Antonsen
The world number three confirmed his withdrawal for an unspecified reason early last week and will miss the India Open for a third consecutive season. In his absence, home favourite H. S. Prannoy has been promoted from the reserve list into the men’s singles main draw.
Arnaud Merkle
The Frenchman has not competed since lifting the Scottish Open title in November and will delay his 2026 season debut until the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta.
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Go Pei Kee/Teoh Mei Xing
The Malaysian women’s doubles pair were forced to sit out last week’s Malaysia Open after Go was diagnosed with influenza. As a precaution, they have also withdrawn from the India Open and the subsequent Indonesia Masters.
kesian peikee last min wdn 🙁 its okay take care & gws! pic.twitter.com/rpHKXfIjiy
— syimi (@pe4rthin) January 6, 2026
Yang Po-hsuan/Hu Ling-fang
No official reason has been provided for the Chinese Taipei mixed doubles pair’s withdrawal. However, Yang remains scheduled to compete in men’s doubles alongside Lee Jhe-huei, while Hu has also pulled out of women’s doubles with Jheng Yu-chieh, suggesting the decision may be due to Hu’s unavailability.
Wong Tien Ci/Lim Chiew Sien
The Malaysian mixed doubles pair retired from their Malaysia Open first-round match against Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping after Lim sustained an injury mid-match. The issue appeared significant enough to withdraw from the India Open.
Kesihatan lebih utama.
Terpaksa menarik diri apabila Wong Tien Ci berasa tidak selesa pada bahagian kaki selepas insiden tapping depan net!
Chiew Sien turut cadang agar BWF kaji semula peraturan, khususnya berkaitan tawaran rawatan berasaskan common sense.@ASTROARENA pic.twitter.com/XGTaAXdiM3
— ZAKI ZAINAL (@_ZakiZainal) January 6, 2026
