Leading the charge for the hosts at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2023 in men’s doubles will be Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang, who celebrated their ascension to the top of the World Rankings by winning the LI-NING China Masters 2023.

The other pair that the hosts will look up to are defending champions Liu Yu Chen/Ou Xuan Yi. Having won the event twice (in 2018 with Li Jun Hui), Liu Yu Chen can bank on his rich experience at the season finale.

The only other pair to have won this title are Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi, winners in 2021, the year that they won the BWF World Championships.

Of the other five pairs in contention, there are two world champions (reigning champions Seo Seung Jae/Kang Min Hyuk and 2022 winners Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik); two All England champions (2023 winners Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto and 2022 champions Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana) and this year’s World Championships silver medallists Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen.

Here is an overview of this season’s performances of the eight pairs:

Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang (China)

With Wang’s guile and Liang’s power, the Chinese combo emerged on top of the world, winning four titles from six finals.

• LI-NING China Masters 2023: Winners
• VICTOR China Open 2023: Winners
• KFF Singapore Open 2023: Runners-up
• TOYOTA GAZOO RACING Thailand Open 2023: Winners
• YONEX SUNRISE India Open 2023: Winners
• PETRONAS Malaysia Open 2023: Runners-up

Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto (Indonesia)

The PETRONAS Malaysia Open and YONEX All England wins studded their resume this year, but the Indonesians were sometimes off the boil and will look to get more consistent.

• VICTOR Denmark Open 2023: Semifinals
• DAIHATSU Japan Open 2023: Semifinals
• Korea Open 2023: Runners-up
• YONEX All England: Winners
• YONEX SUNRISE India Open 2023: Semifinals
• PETRONAS Malaysia Open 2023: Winners

Kang Min Hyuk/Seo Seung Jae (Korea)

Didn’t have high profile titles to boast of, but their World Championships victory changed everything, and rode on that confidence to win a title in Australia.

• Korea Masters 2023: Semifinals
• VICTOR China Open 2023: Semifinals
• SATHIO GROUP Australian Open 2023: Winners
• Korea Open 2023: Semifinals
• KAPAL API GROUP Indonesia Open 2023: Semifinals
• PERODUA Malaysia Masters 2023 presented by DAIHATSU: Winners
• YONEX German Open 2023: Runners-up
• YONEX SUNRISE India Open 2023: Semifinals
• PETRONAS Malaysia Open 2023: Semifinals

Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik (Malaysia)

Finally put an end to questions on their lack of title success on the World Tour as they won the VICTOR Denmark Open – after falling in three finals earlier in the year.

• VICTOR Denmark Open 2023: Winners
• VICTOR China Open 2023: Runners-up
• KAPAL API GROUP Indonesia Open 2023: Runners-up
• KFF Singapore Open 2023: Semifinals
• YONEX SUNRISE India Open 2023: Runners-up

Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi (Japan)

The 2021 world champions were mostly consistent through the season, with their high points being the KFF Singapore Open win and back-to-back finals in Japan and Australia.

• VICTOR China Open 2023: Semifinals
• SATHIO GROUP Australian Open 2023: Runners-up
• DAIHATSU Japan Open 2023: Runners-up
• KFF Singapore Open 2023: Winners
• PERODUA Malaysia Masters 2023 presented by DAIHATSU: Semifinals
• DAIHATSU Indonesia Masters 2023: Semifinals

Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (Denmark)

Their dramatic improvement in the second half of the season saw them make a sensational run into the World Championships final at home, after which they won three World Tour titles from four events.

• YONEX French Open 2023: Winners
• VICTOR Denmark Open 2023: Semifinals
• CLASH OF CLANS Arctic Open 2023 powered by YONEX: Winners
• VICTOR Hong Kong Open 2023: Winners
• YONEX Canada Open 2023: Winners

Liu Yu Chen/Ou Xuan Yi (China)

Had a modest year by their standards but found form late in the year, with back-to-back finals in Saarbrucken and Kumamoto.

• Kumamoto Masters Japan 2023: Runners-up
• HYLO Open 2023: Winners
• YONEX French Open 2023: Semifinals
• DAIHATSU Japan Open 2023: Semifinals
• DAIHATSU Indonesia Masters 2023: Semifinals

Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana (Indonesia)

Their surge into the top eight, vaulting over other strong Indonesian pairs, was helped by two peaks in the year, when they made successive finals in Orleans and Bangkok, and later in Denmark and France.

• YONEX French Open 2023: Runners-up
• VICTOR Denmark Open 2023: Runners-up
• TOYOTA GAZOO RACING Thailand Open 2023: Runners-up
• Orléans Masters Badminton 2023 presented by VICTOR: Runners-up
• PRINCESS SIRIVANNAVARI Thailand Masters 2023: Semifinals