India, April 7 -- Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have withdrawn from the Badminton Asia Championships due to the former's shoulder injury, even as in-form Lakshya Sen and seasoned PV Sindhu gear up to spearhead India's challenge with an aim to end a long wait for a singles title in the continental showpiece.

Satwik and Chirag, who had won the title in 2023, opted out as the former continues to recover.

"Satwik still has some pain, so they won't be playing this week," coach Tan Kim Her told PTI. The duo had earlier pulled out of the Swiss Open ahead of their quarterfinal match due to a recurring right shoulder injury to Satwik.

India will now rely on Lakshya and Sindhu in singles, with both looking to end the country's 61-yea...