New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS): The 78th Senior National Badminton Championships, which will take place at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here from Dec 16-23, have attracted big names of Indian badminton.

World Championship bronze medallist P.V. Sindhu will be looking to regain the title which she lost to Sayali Gokhale last year.

Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal has sent her entry but it is not clear whether she will participate or not. The World No.6 has pulled out of the tournament in the 11th hour in the last few years.

The championship is being hosted by the Delhi Capital Badminton Association (DCBA) under the aegis of Badminton Association of India (BAI). The tournament has received 333 entries who will be vying for the five available titles and a total prize purse of Rs.10 lakh.

"Almost every top player in the country has confirmed their entries for the nationals and we are confident that the tournament will be a grand success," said organising secretary Apinder Sabharwal.

Sayali will be looking to defend her women's singles title against the likes of top female shuttlers like P.C. Thulasi etc.

In men's singles, defending champion Parupalli Kashyap will face strong challenges from the likes of Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold winner Kidambi Srikanth, Ajay Jayaram and H.S. Prannoy.

Also worth watching will be the performances of upcoming players like Sameer Verma, junior national champion Aditya Joshi and Harsheel Dani among others.

The qualifying rounds for the individual events will be held Dec 16-17 while the main draw will be played from Dec 20. The inter-state team championship will be held Dec 18-19.

PSPB is the defending champion in both the men's and women's team championships.