Junior World No. 1 Lakshya Sen to compete in Khaitan badminton tournament

Lakshya Sen (third from left) will be one of the main players. (Source: BAI Twitter)

Nearly 1,500 shuttlers across the country are expected to take part in the 26th Smt. Krishna Khaitan Memorial All India Junior Ranking Prize Money Badminton Tournament to be organised by Express Shuttle Trust under the aegis of Chandigarh Badminton Association from November 13 to November 19.

The tournament, which carries a prize money of Rs 3 lakh, will be played at the Panjab University Badminton Hall, Sector 14 and Sector 42 Sports Complex. A ranking tourament, it is scheduled such that it gives an opportunity for youngsters to accumulate points ahead of the junior nationals.

“The tournament will be played this year before the junior nationals giving the players an opportunity to gather important ranking. World junior number one Lakshya Sen and world junior number nine Aakarshi Kashyap will be the main players,” said Sanjiv Sachdeva, organising secretary of the tournament.

The tournament will be played in U-17 (boys/girls singles and doubles), U-19( boys/girls singles and doubles) and U-19 (mixed doubles) categories and the last date for receiving the registration form of players from state associations is October 18.

The allotment of player ids will be done on October 22 before the entries are closed on October 25. The qualifying rounds will be played from November 13 to November 15 while the main draw strarts from November 16. Entries can be sent to entry@badmintonindia.org with a copy to smtkrishnakhaitan@gmail.com through respective state associations.

“The players are required to send entries along with latest BAI format birth certificates. The tournament will be played on the six courts in Panjab University and seven courts in Sector 42 Sports Complex.

Badminton Association of India (BAI) approved referees and scorers will officiate in the tournament. In the past we had winners like PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap and Kadambi Srikanth and this year also, we are ready to host India’s best junior talent in badminton,” said Sachdeva, who will be accompanying the Indian junior team for world junior championships as a coach.

Players can contact Sanjiv Sachdeva at 09417286222 or Surinder Mahajan, general secretary, Chandigarh Badminton Association at 09815045900 for further details.