Thomas and Uber cup draw: Indian men grouped with Indonesia; women placed with China

Here are the draws for Thomas & Uber Cup set to be held from April 27 to May 5 in Chengdu, China.

FILE PHOTO: India during Thomas Uber Cup Finals 2022 | Photo Credit: Badmintonphoto

Reigning champions Indian men’s team has been clubbed with heavyweights Indonesia while the women’s side was placed alongside mighty China in the Thomas and Uber Cup after the draw for the tournament was conducted here on Friday.

The Indian men’s team, which will be defending its maiden title, has been placed in a tricky group.

Besides last year’s runner-up and record 14-time winners Indonesia, India have Thailand and England to nullify in Group C.

India became only the sixth country in the world to lift the Thomas Cup in 2022 after stunning Indonesia 3-0 in the final at Bangkok.

Uber Cup draw

Group A - India, China, Canada, Singapore

Group B - Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Australia

Group C - Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong China, Uganda

Group D - Korea, Denmark, USA, Mexico

Thomas Cup draw

Group A - China, Korea, Canada, Australia

Group B - Japan, Chinese Taipei, Germany, Czechia

Group C - Indonesia, India, Thailand, England

Group D - Denmark, Malaysia, Hong Kong China, Algeria

In the Uber Cup, the Indian women’s badminton team has been drawn in Group A alongside hosts and the most successful nation in the tournament’s history -- 15-time winner China The other teams in Group A are Canada and Singapore.

Indian women have reached the semifinals of the Uber Cup thrice in 1957, 2014 and 2016.

The Indian men’s team qualified automatically by virtue of being the defending champions while the women made the cut after winning a historic gold medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Malaysia earlier this year.

The tournament will be held from April 27 to May 5 in Chengdu, China.