Odisha Masters Super 100: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Cuttack)

Shuttles cross the net on several courts at once, under hall lights, inside an indoor arena in an old river city. That is the Odisha Masters Super 100 in its first days: a lot of badminton, at close range. In 2026 it runs from December 8 to 13 in Cuttack, Odisha’s former capital. It comes straight after the Guwahati Masters, so much of the field arrives from Assam already match-sharp.

What a Super 100 actually is

Super 100 is the entry tier of the BWF World Tour. It sits below the Super 300, 500, 750 and 1000 events where the top ten usually play. That shapes what you see in Cuttack.

The draw tends to mix:

• Rising international players collecting ranking points on a two-week swing through India
• Indian juniors and young seniors getting World Tour matches on home soil
• Experienced players rebuilding their ranking after injury or a dip

All five disciplines are played: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. Some of today’s top names played events at this level before they were famous, so the early rounds suit people who like spotting players early.

The shape of the week

The six days fall Tuesday to Sunday in 2026. The usual World Tour rhythm puts qualifying and first rounds at the start of the week. The draw then narrows through the quarter-finals and semi-finals, and all five finals come on the last day.

The early days give you the most badminton. Several courts run at once and matches overlap, so you can drift between a singles grind and a fast mixed doubles exchange without leaving your seat. By the weekend the hall has one show court and a single match at a time. Fewer matches, more at stake.

Draws, schedules and results for World Tour events are carried by the BWF. Many spectators follow the draw on their phones to see which court their player is heading to next.

The venue and getting there

Past editions of the Odisha Masters, and the Odisha Open before it, were held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack. It sits in the city’s main sports quarter, near Barabati Stadium, the cricket ground that hosts international matches. The tournament organisers publish the venue and ticket details for each edition.

Getting in from outside the city:

• By air: Biju Patnaik International Airport is in Bhubaneswar, roughly 30 km south. Most visitors take a taxi or app cab up the highway.
• By rail: Cuttack Junction lies on the main Howrah–Chennai line, with direct trains from Kolkata, Bhubaneswar and beyond.
• Within the city: auto-rickshaws and app cabs handle the short hop to the stadium area.

Many visitors stay in Bhubaneswar, which has more hotels and is a short drive away. Cuttack itself suits people who want to walk out to street food after the last match.

Sitting courtside: how the hall works

Badminton has its own crowd etiquette, and a home crowd in Odisha follows it closely. Players need stillness during rallies, so spectators keep their seats while the shuttle is in play. People move during breaks in play.

A few things regulars do:

• Wait for the interval. Each game pauses when the leading side reaches 11 points, and there is a short break between games. That is when people find seats or head out for food.
• Skip the flash. Camera flashes and bright phone screens distract players tracking a white shuttle under lights.
• Cheer between points, not during them. The roar comes after the rally ends, never while the shuttle is in the air.
• Bring a layer. Indoor halls are often air-conditioned, and you will sit still for hours.

Indian players draw the loudest support, and an Odia player on court gets more again. Visiting players still get warm applause for long rallies, whoever wins them.

Dahibara aloodum after the last match

Cuttack’s street-food signature is dahibara aloodum. Soft lentil fritters soak in thin, tempered yoghurt, and a spicy potato curry goes over the top. It comes finished with chopped onion, sev and coriander, usually in a leaf bowl or paper plate eaten standing at the cart.

Stalls selling it line streets across the old city, and locals argue about which vendor does it best. After a long session indoors, spectators often eat their way back towards their hotels. Other Odia snacks to look for:

• Chhena poda, the baked cottage-cheese sweet with a caramelised crust
• Rasabali, flattened fried chhena soaked in thickened milk
• Gupchup, Odisha’s name for pani puri

The Silver City between sessions

Cuttack is more than a thousand years old. It sits on a spit of land where the Mahanadi and Kathajodi rivers part. A free morning before the evening matches gives you time for some of the city.

• Barabati Fort: the earthwork remains and moat of a medieval fort, close to the sports quarter.
• Netaji Birthplace Museum: the house in Oriya Bazar where Subhas Chandra Bose was born in 1897, now a museum of his life.
• Cuttack Chandi Temple: the city’s presiding goddess, and a busy place of worship.
• Tarakasi workshops and shops: Cuttack’s silver filigree, fine wire twisted into jewellery and ornaments, gives the city its nickname.

December is the cool, dry part of the year in coastal Odisha, which makes walking the old city easy. Bhubaneswar’s temples and Konark’s Sun Temple are within day-trip range for anyone staying on after the finals.

Who comes and why it matters here

Odisha has put money into hosting international sport, with hockey as well as badminton. This tournament is part of that push. For Indian badminton, back-to-back events in Guwahati and Cuttack give domestic players a run of World Tour matches without leaving the country.

For spectators, the attraction is closeness. Lower-tier halls seat you near the court. You can hear the shoes squeak and see doubles pairs signal to each other between points. You will also watch players who may be on much bigger stages a few years from now.