Updated March 8th 2026, 15:01 IST

All England Badminton Final: Despite the prayers of over a billion for India's badminton ace Lakshya Sen as the youngster chases history in Birmingham, he would know deep within that he would not have a walk in the park against Chinese Taipei's Lin Chun-Yi, who would certainly start overwhelming favourites. While expectations would be high from Lakshya, one has to understand he may not be at his fittest best.
During his semi-final against Victor Lai of Canada, he seemed to be cramping and was also hobbling around. It seemed he was in pain and that was not a pretty sight. But eventually, his will and determination saw him through. But, what about today - will he physically be able to challenge his opponent toe-to-toe? During his press conference, he said that he will be okay and there is not much to be worried about - but is that the case? Very unlikely!
Over the past two seasons, not many have improved and grown in the sport like Chun-Yi. Also, what works for the Taiwanese is the fact that he has got the better of Lakshya on all four occasions they have faced each other. The big weapon of Chun-Yi is his scathing attacks that breaks the morale of his oppositions. Not long ago, Chun-Yi defeated Sen at the India Open in January in quarters.
Even Lakshya's coach Vimal Kumar knows all about the Taiwanese.
“He is the hardest hitter and his angles because he’s a leftie are tough to read,” Vimal says as quoted by the Indian Express.
The much-awaited finale will start at 5:20 PM IST. It would be interesting to see if Lakshya can overcome his problems and give his opposition a run for his money.
Published March 8th 2026, 14:52 IST