Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were forced to retire from their opening-round contest against Malaysia's Kang Khai Xing and Aaron Tai at the Super 1000s event of Indonesia Open due to an injury concern. The fourth-ranked pair could not complete the match after Satwik signalled discomfort in his right shoulder. They were trailing 6-11 in the match before they had to retire.
The Badminton Association of India later confirmed the development and indicated that the focus would now shift towards rehabilitation.
"Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have withdrawn from the POLYTRON Indonesia Open 2026 due to the former's injury. The pair will now focus on recovery and rehabilitation as they prepare for the important tournaments ahead. We wish Satwik a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing the duo back on court soon," BAI’s statement read.
The withdrawal came at the end of an intense stretch on the international circuit for India's leading doubles combination. Just days earlier, Satwik and Chirag had lifted the Singapore Open trophy after overcoming Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Sohibul Fikri in a final that extended beyond an hour. The title ended a lengthy wait for silverware and followed another deep run that saw them reach the Thailand Open final.
Satwik on injuries
Meanwhile, with the World Championships scheduled to take place in Delhi later this year and the Asian Games also on the horizon, managing fitness is expected to remain a priority for the pair during the remainder of the season. It was only a few days back that Satwik had reflected on the challenges of balancing performance and physical well-being on tour.
"Injury is not something only I have; nobody's career is perfect throughout. For a fact, I realised that you should respect your body. Especially with my style of play being more attacking, once in a while you'll miss bigger tournaments. You have to brush it off, focus, get your 100 per cent at the bigger tournaments, peak at the right time and manage your body. I think it has been pretty good after the Olympics. I've been managing quite well and getting into shape. There have been a few issues here and there, but that's fine,” Satwik said.
Sindhu wins, Rohan-Shivani progresses
Elsewhere, India found reason to celebrate in mixed doubles as Rohan Kapoor and Shivani Ruthvika Gadde advanced to the second round with a straight-games victory over Chinese Taipei's Yang Po-Hsuan and Hu Ling Fang. In singles, PV Sindhu progressed, while Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth exited in the opening round. Ayush Shetty and HS Prannoy were also scheduled to begin their campaigns later in the day.
Also Read:
