A new crop of Indian badminton players will step into the international spotlight this week as the Thailand Masters Super 300 gets underway in Bangkok, offering a timely early-season proving ground for the country’s emerging stars.
With a prize purse of USD 250,000 and valuable ranking points on offer, the tournament presents a vital platform for players such as Priyanshu Rajawat, Kiran George and Tharun Mannepalli to test their readiness against quality international opposition and push for deep runs on the BWF World Tour.
The Thailand Masters sits at Super 300 level the second-lowest rung of the World Tour but for players still shaping their place in the global hierarchy, it often becomes a gateway to bigger events. For India’s next generation, this tournament is not just about winning matches but about establishing consistency, confidence and credibility on the circuit.
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Among the men, the spotlight will first fall on Priyanshu Rajawat. A member of India’s historic Thomas Cup-winning squad and the Orleans Masters Super 300 champion in 2023, Rajawat has already shown that he can beat top-class opposition. However, his opening round in Bangkok will be anything but easy. The 22-year-old will face fourth seed Brian Yang of Canada, a fast, aggressive player who thrives on quick exchanges and high-tempo rallies.
For Rajawat, this is the kind of match that can define a campaign. A win over a seeded opponent in the first round would immediately open up the draw and signal that he is ready to challenge again at this level. Having tasted Super 300 success before, he knows what it takes to string together victories, but Yang’s consistency and court coverage will demand precision and patience.
Kiran George’s Return to Rhythm
Seventh seed Kiran George comes into the Thailand Masters with momentum slowly building after a long injury layoff. The 23-year-old from Dhar was sidelined for nearly five months with a knee injury before making his return at the Syed Modi India International in November 2025. Since then, he has been steadily working his way back to full match sharpness.
Kiran’s pedigree is well established. A former Odisha Masters Super 100 champion and a quarterfinalist at the 2025 India Open Super 750, he has already proven that he can compete with elite opposition. In Bangkok, he will face Malaysia’s Sholeh Aidil in the opening round a tricky opponent who can be dangerous on his day but one Kiran will fancy himself against if he imposes his rhythm from the backcourt.
A deep run here would not only boost Kiran’s ranking but also underline that his comeback is truly on track.
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Tharun Mannepalli and S. Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian are part of the next wave of Indian men’s singles players hoping to break through on the Tour. Mannepalli, who won gold at the 37th National Games in 2023 and silver at the Senior Nationals the same year, enjoyed a breakthrough last season when he reached his maiden Super 300 semifinal at the Macau Open.
His opening match in Bangkok will be against Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen, a former top-20 player with home-court advantage. It will be a stern test, but also an opportunity for Mannepalli to show how far his game has evolved. Subramanian, the former world junior No. 1 and silver medallist at the 2022 World Junior Championships, has been drawn against fifth seed Arnaud Merkle. The Frenchman brings power and consistency, making this a high-quality first-round contest that will challenge Subramanian’s tactical maturity and shot selection.
Former national champion Mithun Manjunath will also have to be at his best from the start, having drawn eighth seed Magnus Johannesen of Denmark. Johannesen’s solid rallying and court awareness make him a dangerous early-round opponent. Meanwhile, youngster Manraj Singh will begin against a qualifier, giving him a potentially more open pathway to settle into the tournament.
Anmol Kharb Leads the Women’s Challenge
In women’s singles, India’s hopes will be led by Anmol Kharb, one of the brightest prospects in the country. The 19-year-old won titles in Belgium and Poland in 2024 and was a key member of India’s historic gold-medal-winning team at the 2024 Badminton Asia Team Championships. Last week, she stretched former world champion Nozomi Okuhara at the Indonesia Masters, a performance that underlined her growing belief on the big stage.
Kharb will face Hong Kong’s Lo Sin Yan Happy in the opening round a matchup that gives the Indian youngster a genuine chance to build momentum if she brings the same intensity and shot quality. Elsewhere in the women’s draw, Rakshitha Ramraj faces the toughest possible test against top seed Supanida Katethong of Thailand, while Aakarshi Kashyap will take on third seed Hina Akechi. Tasnim Mir meets fifth seed Huang Yu-Hsun, and Shriyanshi Valishetty faces Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang.
Tanya Hemanth has been drawn against seventh seed Julie Dawall Jakobsen, while an intriguing all-Indian clash between Isharani Baruah and Malvika Bansod will guarantee at least one Indian progressing. Devika Sihag and Anupama Upadhyaya will open against qualifiers, offering them a chance to ease into the tournament.
Doubles and Mixed Doubles Action
In women’s doubles, Ashwini Bhat K. and Shikha Gautam face a stern test against fifth-seeded Indonesians Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspitasari, while Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda will take on the seventh-seeded Chinese pair Bao Li Jing and Li Yi Jing.
In mixed doubles, Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh play Spain’s Ruben Garcia and Lucia Rodriguez, and Dhruv Rawat with Maneesha K. will meet Chinese Taipei’s He Zhi-Wei and Liang Ching Sun. In men’s doubles, Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K face fourth-seeded Malaysians Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong in what promises to be a tough opener.
Summary of First-Round Matches for Indians
Men’s Singles
- Priyanshu Rajawat vs Brian Yang (Canada, 4th seed)
- Kiran George vs Sholeh Aidil (Malaysia)
- Tharun Mannepalli vs Kantaphon Wangcharoen (Thailand)
- S. Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian vs Arnaud Merkle (France, 5th seed)
- Mithun Manjunath vs Magnus Johannesen (Denmark, 8th seed)
- Manraj Singh vs Qualifier
Women’s Singles
- Anmol Kharb vs Lo Sin Yan Happy (Hong Kong)
- Rakshitha Ramraj vs Supanida Katethong (Thailand, top seed)
- Aakarshi Kashyap vs Hina Akechi (Japan, 3rd seed)
- Tasnim Mir vs Huang Yu-Hsun (5th seed)
- Shriyanshi Valishetty vs Wen Yu Zhang (Canada)
- Tanya Hemanth vs Julie Dawall Jakobsen (7th seed)
- Isharani Baruah vs Malvika Bansod (All-Indian)
- Devika Sihag vs Qualifier
- Anupama Upadhyaya vs Qualifier
Women’s Doubles
- Ashwini Bhat K./Shikha Gautam vs Kusuma/Puspitasari (Indonesia, 5th seeds)
- Rutaparna Panda/Swetaparna Panda vs Bao Li Jing/Li Yi Jing (China, 7th seeds)
Mixed Doubles
- Ashith Surya/Amrutha Pramuthesh vs Garcia/Rodriguez (Spain)
- Dhruv Rawat/Maneesha K. vs He Zhi-Wei/Liang Ching Sun (Chinese Taipei)
Men’s Doubles
- Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy/Sai Pratheek K vs Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub/Tan Wee Kiong (Malaysia, 4th seeds)
The Thailand Masters thus offers a wide-ranging, high-stakes start to the season for India’s young badminton brigade one that could define their trajectory for the months ahead.
