India’s emerging player, Ayush Shetty, has recently shared his plans for the Thomas Cup while reflecting on his breakthrough run at the BAC this year, in an interview with The New Indian Express about the 2026 Thomas Cup. 

Ayush Shetty is ready to bring the Thomas Cup back to India. Following a historic silver-medal run in Ningbo, the 20-year-old secured his first senior call-up for the upcoming championship in Denmark.

This is a major opportunity for the player, with this being his first call-up for an event like the senior Thomas Cup, he has shown confidence in his group while expressing,

“ Winning silver at the Asia Championships has been a huge source of motivation for me and it definitely pushes me to raise my level heading into the Thomas Cup. It’s a team event, so we’re planning to get there a bit early, settle in and adapt to the conditions and weather as quickly as possible.” he said while talking about holding up India’s medal hopes for the upcoming championship.

The 2026 Thomas Cup will be held from April 24 to May 3 at Horsens, Denmark. India has been drawn in Group A along with China, Canada, and Australia. While China is more expected to get through, India too stays strong on paper.

“We are excited, and we’ll try our best to get the Thomas Cup back home,”  He said while talking about holding up India’s medal hopes for the upcoming championship.

For Shetty, this is a major milestone, as he gets to play with other big names like Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, and Kidambi Srikanth in the singles category. While Shetty continues to be an additional option for the country, we cannot assure any fixed rotation, as it totally depends on the situation on the spot. 

But his record right now does prove that the young player holds a lot of value to himself, giving the audience the confidence that he can actually make an impact if he is called upon.

Ayush’s Genrational run at the BAC 2026

As Ayush continues to prepare for the Thomas Cup after an incredible performance at the 2026 Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, where he became the first indian in a long time to win a silver in the men’s singles category in the tournament.

This win is one of his biggest achievements to date, which also helped him advance to the senior stage. During that week, he played against many top players, including China’s Li Shi Feng, Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie, and Thailand’s world No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

His run at the BAC tournament ended in the finals against China’s Shi Yuqi on April 12, where he ended up as a runner-up, losing with a score line of 21-8, 21-10. It was a 35-minute match, and despite this defeat, it still stands as a huge milestone for Ayush.

After the finals, his coach, Vimal Kumar, said that Shetty has a long way to go, but pushed the player to look at the bigger picture and remain positive.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi