Bengaluru, 3 March

Two-time Olympic medal-winning Indian badminton star PV Sindhu, who was stranded in Dubai due to the closure of airspace in the Gulf region, has returned to the country after pulling out of the All England Championships in Birmingham.

Sindhu posted on X to announce that she is back in the city.

"Back home in Bangalore and safe. The last few days have been intense and uncertain, but I'm truly grateful to be back at my house," she posted.

"A heartfelt thank you to the incredible ground teams, Dubai authorities, airport staff, immigration, and every single person who stepped up and took such good care of us during a very difficult time. The empathy and professionalism meant more than words can say.

"For now, it's time to rest, reset, and figure out the next steps," she added.

The former world champion was on her way to Birmingham via Dubai when she was stranded after the flight operations were suspended in the Gulf region following the US and Israeli bombing of Iran.

Iran subsequently retaliated, hitting Dubai as well.

"Moments like these remind you how fragile normal life really is," she had posted on 28 February while revealing some details of her ordeal, which included an explosion near her place of stay.

She had described the experience as "an extremely tense and scary moment" for her and her team, including Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama.