Lakshya Sen leads India’s seven-event challenge at the Kumamoto Masters
Fresh from capturing the Hylo Open title, Lakshya Sen heads a seven-event Indian badminton campaign at the Kumamoto Masters Japan, a BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament beginning on Tuesday, November 10. The competition runs through November 15 in Kumamoto, where India will be represented across men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.
Sen’s recent form gives the Indian challenge an encouraging headline, but the tournament also presents an important opportunity for the country’s doubles combinations and emerging singles players. P.V. Sindhu will not compete in Kumamoto, while men’s singles player Ayush Shetty has withdrawn. As with any badminton entry list, the field could change if further withdrawals are announced closer to the start.
Kumamoto Masters: dates, venue and prize money
The Kumamoto Masters Japan is scheduled for November 10 to 15 at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium in Kumamoto, Japan. The Super 500 event offers a total prize purse of US$500,000, making it a significant stop on the international badminton calendar.
Beyond the prize money, the tournament carries valuable ranking points. A strong result can help players improve their positions on the BWF World Tour standings, build momentum for the remainder of the season and strengthen their prospects of qualifying for the year-end World Tour Finals. For Sen, those ranking implications add particular importance to an event where he arrives with confidence after a title-winning performance.
India’s players and pairings in the draw
India has entries across seven events, with a mix of established international names and combinations looking to make progress on the World Tour. The listed Indian competitors are:
Men’s singles
Lakshya Sen (eighth seed) and Kidambi Srikanth will represent India in the men’s singles draw. Sen enters as the country’s leading medal prospect after his recent Super 500 victory, while Srikanth will look to produce a strong run in a demanding international field.
Women’s singles
Malvika Bansod is India’s representative in the women’s singles. Sindhu is absent from the entry list after choosing not to take part following her title-winning appearance at the Hylo Open in Saarbrücken.
Men’s doubles
Fifth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lead the Indian men’s doubles challenge. M.R. Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan are also entered, giving India two pairs in the event.
Women’s and mixed doubles
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will compete in women’s doubles. In mixed doubles, India has two listed combinations: Hariharan Amsakarunan with Tanisha Crasto, and Dhruv Rawat with Maneesha K. A new pairing of Dhruv Kapila and Radhika Sharma is also set to appear in the qualifying round, adding another Indian combination to watch as the event gets underway.
Sen arrives in Japan with title-winning momentum
Sen’s preparation for Kumamoto has been shaped by a major result in Germany. At the Hylo Open Super 500, he defeated Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie in straight games in the final to claim the title. Beating a high-ranking opponent in a final is a valuable confidence boost, particularly as Sen continues his push for consistency against the world’s leading players.
The Indian then withdrew from the Korea Open. That decision came amid a season in which fitness has been an important consideration: Sen has spoken about recurring physical issues that affected his results over the previous three to four months. Managing his workload and arriving healthy will therefore be as important as his technical game in Kumamoto.
Sen is also targeting a top-eight finish in the BWF World Tour rankings to qualify for the season-ending World Tour Finals. A deep run in Japan could help that campaign, although the competition is likely to demand sustained focus across several matches. The World Tour’s fast schedule leaves little room for recovery, making physical condition and match management central factors in a player’s prospects.
A chance to improve on last year’s semifinal run
Sen reached the semifinals of the Kumamoto tournament in 2025. His campaign included a quarterfinal victory over former world champion Loh Kean Yew, before Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto ended his run in a close three-game contest. Nishimoto won 19-21, 21-14, 21-12 after 77 minutes.
That result offers a useful reference point for Sen, but the draw and conditions change from year to year. The earlier semifinal appearance shows that he can navigate the tournament’s demands, while his recent Hylo Open win suggests he arrives with renewed confidence. Reaching the latter stages again would be a strong outcome; going further would provide another important boost to his season.
Indian doubles teams add depth to the campaign
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are the most prominent Indian doubles pair in the field. As fifth seeds, they will carry expectations, but the presence of Arjun and Hariharan gives India another men’s doubles entry and a chance to gain experience against international opposition.
The women’s doubles pairing of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand is another key part of the campaign. Their performance will be closely watched as they seek to build consistency and progress through a competitive draw. India’s two mixed doubles entries also broaden the team’s opportunities, while Kapila and Sharma’s qualifying appearance could provide an early test for the new partnership.
For badminton fans, the Kumamoto Masters offers more than a single-player storyline. Sen’s title defence of his momentum, Srikanth’s singles challenge, and the progress of India’s doubles combinations will all shape the week. The entry list was current as of November 9, and further changes remain possible before play begins on November 10.
