Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth & Tanvi Sharma will lean on his vast experience at the highest level when he leads India’s challenge at the German Open 2026 badminton tournament, which begins on Tuesday at the Westenergie Sporthalle in Mülheim an der Ruhr.
The tournament, a BWF Super 300 event, marks an important opportunity for several Indian shuttlers to build momentum early in the season against a competitive international field.
Currently ranked World No. 32 in men’s singles, Srikanth heads into the German Open following back-to-back quarterfinal appearances at the India Open and Indonesia Masters earlier this year. He was last seen in action at the Badminton Asia Team Championships, where he registered victories in both of his singles matches for India, showing encouraging signs of form.
The 31-year-old, who clinched a silver medal at the 2021 BWF World Championships, enjoyed a steady run last season with runner-up finishes at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 and the Syed Modi International Super 300. Although a title has remained elusive, Srikanth has worked his way back up the rankings after slipping to 82, and is now aiming to further improve his position to secure direct entries into higher-tier Super 750 and Super 1000 events. He will open his campaign in Mülheim against a qualifier.
Joining Srikanth in the men’s singles main draw are Kiran George and Tharun Mannepalli. Kiran George faces a challenging opening-round clash against France’s Christo Popov, the top seed and current World No. 5, while Tharun Mannepalli is set to take on Chinese Taipei’s Wang Tzu Wei.
In the women’s singles category, World No. 40 Tanvi Sharma will spearhead India’s campaign in the absence of two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu. The 16-year-old has been one of India’s most promising performers in recent months and will begin her campaign against Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching.
Tanvi has delivered a series of noteworthy performances this season, pushing World No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi and World No. 12 Tomoka Miyazaki to three-game contests at the India Open and Indonesia Masters respectively. She also recorded a significant victory over World No. 17 Busanan Ongbamrungphan at the Badminton Asia Team Championships earlier this month.
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Her consistent performances date back to late last year, when she finished runner-up at both the Guwahati Masters Super 100 and the US Open Super 300 in 2025, in addition to reaching the semifinals at the Syed Modi International Super 300 and the final of the BWF World Junior Championships.
India’s women’s singles contingent also includes Tasnim Mir, Malvika Bansod, Rakshitha Ramraj, Isharani Baruah and qualifier Aakarshi Kashyap. Malvika Bansod, currently ranked World No. 51, will be competing in her sixth tournament of the year after returning from a knee injury sustained during the Indonesia Open in June 2025. She is scheduled to face Denmark’s Line Højmark Kjaersfeldt in the opening round.
World No. 45 Isharani Baruah, who reached the quarterfinals at the Thailand Masters Super 300 and finished runner-up at the Odisha Masters 2025, will open her campaign against Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong. Tasnim Mir, meanwhile, has drawn top seed Wang Zhi Yi of China in what promises to be a tough first-round encounter.
In the women’s doubles draw, the Indian pair of Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam will take on Hsu Yin-Hui and Lin Jhih Yun of Chinese Taipei in their opening match. Nishu Malik and Muskan Sangwan will also compete in the qualification rounds.
There are no Indian representatives in the men’s doubles and mixed doubles main draws at this edition of the German Open.
Badminton matches from the German Open 2026 will be available for live streaming in India on BWF TV’s official YouTube channel, with details of the television broadcast expected to be updated in due course.
