M.R. Arjun/Dhruv Kapila are back in the draw at their home event YONEX SUNRISE India Open 2024 – replacing Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan – after pulling out of last year’s edition.

Arjun/Kapila also gave a second round walkover a year before and will hope for better luck in front of their fans this year, despite facing Olympic champions Lee Yang/Wang Chi-Lin in the first match.

Once world No.19, the currently 43rd-ranked pair’s partnership has been beset by injuries – their final appearance of 2023 ending in retirement in the Asian Games Round of 32 against Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi in October. They lost to another Chinese Taipei tandem – Lee Fang-Chih/Lee Fang-Jen – on their comeback at the Malaysia Open last week.

If they clear the opening hurdle, they could face a rematch against the Japanese seventh seeds in the second round.

Meanwhile, top seeds in three categories have also withdrawn due to health issues – Viktor Axelsen, Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan and Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong.

These are the players who have been promoted:

Men’s singles

1. Kiran George (Axelsen)
2. Su Li Yang (Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo)
3. Kantaphon Wangcharoen (Loh Kean Yew)
4. Chia Hao Lee (Ng Tze Yong)
5. Sathish Kumar Karunakaran (Anders Antonsen)

Women’s singles

1. Thet Htar Thuzar (fifth seed Carolina Marin)
2. Aakarshi Kashyap (Kim Ga Eun)

Men’s doubles

1. Christo Popov/Toma Junior Popov (Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi)
2. Krishna Prasad Garaga/Sai Pratheek.k (Ayato Endo/Yuta Takei)

Women’s doubles

1. Paula Lynn Cao Hok/Lauren Lam (Chen/Jia)
2. Rutaparna Panda/Swetaparna Panda (fifth seeds Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti)
3. Ashwini Bhat K./Shikha Gautam (Jeong Na Eun/Kim Hye Jeong)

Mixed doubles

1. Cheng Xing/Zhang Chi (Zheng/Huang)

Click here to view the updated draw.

India Open 2024 starts tomorrow, with the first match scheduled at 11.30am Kuala Lumpur time (UTC +8).

Fun fact: Arjun/Kapila made their tournament debuts in 2017 but with different partners.