HS Prannoy has publicly criticised the Asian Games 2026 timetable, highlighting the tight turnaround that forced Ayush Shetty and Unnati Hooda to compete twice on Saturday. The Indian veteran posted on X that the schedule resembles a regional championship, noting that the team event medal ceremony ran until 11 pm, leaving many players with early matches the next day and now facing two singles fixtures on the same calendar day. Prannoy’s remarks underscore the logistical strain on athletes at the multi‑sport event.
Ayush Shetty opened his campaign with a decisive 21‑7, 21‑7 victory over Kazakhstan’s Makhsut Tajibullayev in just 21 minutes, while Unnati Hooda required 79 minutes to edge past Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching 21‑14, 20‑22, 21‑19. Both matches concluded in the morning (IST), meaning the pair must return to the court in the evening for their Round‑of‑16 singles ties. The rapid succession of play raises concerns about recovery time and injury risk for the two ace shuttlers.
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Ayush’s next opponent will be Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien‑Chen, against whom he trails 1‑2 in head‑to‑head record. Unnati faces Indonesia’s world No. 6 Putri Kusuma Wardani, who previously defeated Unnati at the 2025 Hylo Open. Both players must quickly regroup after their back‑to‑back fixtures, adding pressure to an already demanding day for the Indian badminton squad.
The Indian singles campaign also suffered a setback when Lakshya Sen was ousted in the second round by Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew. The 13th‑ranked Indian lost 21‑12, 15‑21, 21‑14 in a one‑hour‑ten‑minute contest, after leading 5‑1 in the opening game. Sen’s early exit compounds the scheduling concerns, highlighting the challenges Indian shuttlers face amid the tight Asian Games timetable.
