How do serving and receiving work in doubles?
Rule- England
- Badminton England
- BWF Laws
- League badminton
- Adults
- Open age
- 2026/27
- Players
Under Law 11:
- The serving side serves from the right service court when its score is 0 or even, and from the left when it is odd.
- The receiver is the player standing diagonally opposite the server. Only that player may return the serve; if the receiver's partner hits it, that is a fault.
- Players only change service courts when their side wins a point while serving. The receiving side never swaps courts.
- When the serving side wins a rally, it scores a point and the same server serves again from the other court.
- When the receiving side wins a rally, it scores a point and becomes the serving side. Its new server is whichever player is in the correct court for its new score.
This produces the serving sequence: initial server, partner of the initial receiver, partner of the initial server, initial receiver, and so on. The winners of a game may serve first in the next game, and either player on the losing side may receive first.
Added 21 Oct 2026