India Open 2028 set to Move to Guwahati as BAI confirms after BWF Championships in New Delhi

The BWF World Championships in New Delhi ended on Sunday with India taking away one historic medal and several promising signs for the future.

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand's women's doubles bronze, secured after their semifinal run, was the country's first medal in the discipline at the World Championships since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa's bronze in 2011.

The tournament's conclusion also brought an important announcement away from the court. Badminton Association of India (BAI) Secretary General Sanjay Mishra confirmed that the 2028 India Open will be staged in Guwahati, with the Super 750 event temporarily leaving its traditional New Delhi home.

The tournament is scheduled for the final week of January, with the January 26 Republic Day celebrations creating additional security restrictions and logistical challenges in the national capital.

"The 2028 India Open will be held in the last week of January, and due to the tournament dates clashing with Republic Day security arrangements in the National Capital, we felt that only for that year should we shift the tournament to Guwahati. It will return to New Delhi in 2029," Mishra said.

The move follows a successful World Championships in New Delhi, where the upgraded facilities and organisation drew positive feedback from players and officials. The 2026 Championships ran from August 17 to 23 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

India's attention will now turn towards the Asian Games, with the fitness of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty remaining a major concern. Mishra said the decision regarding Satwik's participation or workload would be taken after consultation with the medical and physiotherapy teams.

"I don't know yet, but I will talk to the physio and medical team," Mishra said.

Despite exits for several leading Indians, the BAI chief believes the overall campaign demonstrated India's growing depth. Ayush Shetty, for instance, produced one of the tournament's biggest shocks by defeating world No.1 Shi Yuqi in the opening round.

"We have proven we can beat anyone in the world," Mishra said.

He also backed Tanvi Sharma, Asmita Chaliha and Unnati Hooda to strengthen India's women's singles challenge alongside PV Sindhu ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Mishra additionally pointed to the resurgence of Treesa and Gayatri, whose bronze has added fresh momentum to Indian badminton's next generation.