India Open 2028 to Be Held in Guwahati, Returning to Delhi in 2029

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has decided to shift the 2028 India Open to Guwahati for that year only, citing the tournament's January dates clashing with Republic Day security arrangements in New Delhi. The event is scheduled to return to the national capital in 2029.

"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, we should shift the tournament to Guwahati. It will return to New Delhi in 2029," said BAI official Mishra, as quoted by Hindustan Times.

The shift comes amid ongoing concerns from players about the tournament's scheduling during New Delhi's winter, when air pollution is severe and indoor stadium temperatures are cold. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) had earlier moved the India Open to February 2-7 for the 2027 season to avoid the worst of the winter weather, before placing it back in late January for 2028, scheduled for January 25-30.

Top players, including Denmark's Anders Antonsen, have repeatedly criticised the January-February window and have sometimes chosen to skip the event, accepting mandatory fines while urging the BWF to reschedule. Mixed doubles players Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue, who recently became the first French badminton players to become world champions, also called for a different time slot for the India Open.

Gicquel described the conditions at the India Open, saying it was "hard to breathe" and that the quality of the tournament was not as good as other events, expressing hope that the BWF would change the month in future.

Mishra, however, noted that the window is not within the BAI's control. "Changing the window is not in our hands. BWF decides the calendar and it decided upto 2027 and changing the date of one event will mean messing up the whole calendar," he said, as reported by The Indian Express. He also mentioned that the BWF's calendar would be reviewed in 2029, when the India Open returns to Delhi.

The 2028 edition in Guwahati will mark that city's second major badminton event hosting; Guwahati successfully hosted the 2025 World Junior Championships, according to Hindustan Times.

BAI Bids for the Thomas & Uber Cup in 2028

In a separate move, the BAI has submitted a bid to host the 2028 Thomas and Uber Cup, the prestigious team championships for men and women. The bid comes after India's successful hosting of the World Championships.

"We have bid for the 2028 edition of Thomas and Uber Cup. The event will be held at the IG Stadium," Mishra said in The Indian Express report. The same source said that multiple countries have placed bids, but India is confident of winning the hosting rights because of its record of staging the World Championships.

"There are other countries in the race also but we are confident of winning with the show we had put up in Delhi for seven days," Mishra said.

India earlier hosted the Thomas and Uber Cup in 2014 at Siri Fort in New Delhi, and a successful bid would see the tournament return to the capital in 2028.

Perspectives

BAI Official Mishra

Mishra frames the shift to Guwahati as a one-year logistical necessity due to Republic Day security and differentiates the BAI's controlling role over the window, deferring to the BWF for date changes. He also expresses confidence in landing the Thomas & Uber Cup bid.

Players

Players, including Anders Antonsen, Thom Gicquel, and Delphine Delrue, have voiced doubts about the January window, citing air quality and cold as aspects that affect performance and the event's quality, urging a move to a later date. Some have skipped the tournament entirely.