Asian Games 2023: HS Prannoy’s Injury Deals Major Blow to India’s Badminton Gold Medal Hopes

Hangzhou: In a significant setback for the Indian men’s badminton team, in-form shuttler, HS Prannoy, will miss the historic match for the first-ever gold medal at the Asian Games due to an injury sustained on Sunday, as reported by Olympics.com. As a replacement, Mithun Manjunathan will step in to compete in the men’s singles clash. The highly anticipated India versus China men’s team badminton gold medal match is scheduled to commence at 2:30 PM IST.

The Indian men’s badminton team made history on Saturday by defeating South Korea with a score of 3-2 in an exhilarating semifinal. This victory secured their spot in the team events final for the very first time at the Asian Games, guaranteeing India a medal in this prestigious event. Now, their sights are set on the gold medal as they face a formidable opponent in China.

HS Prannoy delivered an exceptional performance on Saturday when he faced South Korea’s Hyeokjin Jeon. The world championships bronze medallist showcased his deceptive skills and executed a remarkable comeback victory with a scoreline of 18-21, 21-16, 21-19 against Hyeokjin Jeon.

Here’s a glimpse of the upcoming Indian team matches:
– Lakshya Sen will compete against Shi Yu Qi.
– Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will face Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang in the doubles.
– Kidambi Srikanth will take on Li Shifeng.
– Dhruv Kapila and Sai Pratheek will go up against Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi in the doubles.
– Mithun Manjunathan will replace HS Prannoy and compete against Weng Hongyang.