India has many international badminton players that have made a place not only in the Indian continent but all over the globe. In this article, we will cover the top ten all-time badminton players of India.
Badminton is one of the popular racket sports in India and a favorite pass-time sport in Indian families since its inception in British times. India adopted this game in which two or 4 (in doubles) play badminton on the lawn or court with a lightweight racket and a Shutterstock.
India also has a badminton governing body called the Badminton Association of India which has held all the national level tournaments in India since 1936. It also selects the core badminton group for the Olympics who will represent India.
India has had many International level badminton champions over the years. So let’s know about the top 10 legendary badminton players of India.
Top 10 Badminton Players in India
1. Prakash Padukone
Prakash Padukone was born on 10 June 1955 in Bengaluru and was a champion of Indian badminton for almost a decade from 1971 to 1980. Prakash Padukone also played a crucial role in taking Indian badminton to the International level. At the very young age of 17 Prakash Padukone made his first national debut in 1972. Prakash Padukone was the first Indian player who win the Commonwealth Games Men’s Singles gold in 1978. He also won an All-England champion, nine national champion titles in a row, and several national championships.
The pioneer of Indian badminton, Prakash Padukone, is the number 1 and all-time Indian badminton player. Prakash Padukone was ranked as World’s No. 1 badminton player in 1980. For his amazing achievements in the area of badminton sport, Prakash Padukone earned the title of the father of badminton. Prakash Padukone was also awarded with the Arjuna Award in 1972.
2. Pullela Gopichand
Former Indian badminton player Pullela Gopichand was born on 16 November 1973 in a small town near Chirala Town in Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh. Pullela Gopichand was the only second Indian badminton player who won the All-England title after Prakash Padukone. Pullela won his first National Badminton Championship title in 1996. Gopichand won two gold medals in the SAARC Badminton Championship in 1996 and 1997. He also won a silver medal at 1998’s Indian National Games and his only Olympic appearance at Sydney’s 2000’s games. In 2002, Pullela retired from badminton and opened his own Gopichand Badminton Academy in 2008. He coached many badminton stars including Saina Nehwal, Srikanth Kidambi, Parupalli Kashyap, H.S. Prannoy, Sai Praneeth, Sameer Verma, and Jwala Gutta.
Gopichand was awarded by the Indian Government for his many accomplishments in badminton sport including the Arjuna Award (1999), Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna (2001), Padma Sri(2005), Dronacharya Award (2009), and Padma Bhushan(2014).
3. Saina Nehwal
Saina Nehwal is the first-ever Indian shuttler who win the Olympic Gold Medal for India. Saina Nehwal was born on 17th March 1990 in Haryana and started to play badminton at the very young age of 8. Coached by the former Indian shuttler Pullela Gopichand, Saina Nehwal amazed the world with her Bronze Medal at the London 2012 games. However, she made her first Olympic Debut in 2008 and became the first woman who reached to last eight of the Olympic quarter-final. In 2009, Saina also became the first Indian shuttler who win the BWF Super Series at Idoneshia. Like every other athlete Saina Nehwal also went through a dip in form and won a Gold Medal in the 2008 Commonwealth Games. It was Nehwal’s second title which she clinched from the another Indian shuttler P.V. Sindhu.
Saina Nehwal’s won 24 plays International titles and only Indian who has at least one medal in every BWF Major and Junior Championships, in her 12-long career. Saina Nehwal married Parupalli Kashyap (fellow badminton player) in 2018 in Hyderabad. Talking about Saina Nehwal’s national accolades and achievements, she won the Arjuna Award (2009), Padma Sri (2010), Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna (2009-2010), and Padma Bhushan (2016).
4. P. V. Sindhu
P.V Sindhu’s full name is Pusarla Venkata Sindhu who was born on July 5th in 1995 in Hyderabad. P.V. Sindhu’s parents were also national-level athletes but in volleyball sports. At the age of eight, P.V. Sindhu fell in love with Badminton after watching Pullela Gopichand on the court and started to play. She soon joined his Gopichand Badminton Academy to live her badminton dream. In the last decade P. V. Sindhu has become the World’s top Indian shuttler and an inspiration to many women. Sindhu became the first Indian Women shuttler with two Olympic medals, a Silver (Rio in 2016) and a Bronze (Tokyo in 2020). She also clinched a Gold Medal in the BWF World Championship.
P.V. Sindhu won five World Championship medals including Gold, two Olympic Medals, and medals in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. P.V. Sindhu’s greatest achievements at such a young age led her to national accolades including the Arjuna Award (2013), Padma Sri (2015), Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna (2016), and Padma Bhushan (2020).
5. Kidambi Srikanth
Kidambi Srikanth, one of the finest Indian Badminton players achieved the No. 1 place in the World Ranking. Kidambi became the first Indian male shuttler who win the Silver Medal in the World Championships. Kidambi Srikanth was born on February 7, 1993, at Ravulapalem in Andhra Pradesh, He started to play badminton after watching his elder brother K Nandagopal. A student of Pullela, Kidambi Srikanth wasn’t able to polish his skills until he joined the Gopichand Badminton Academy. National Badminton Coach Pullela Gopichand encouraged Srikanth to go solo instead of double in the Badminton.
Srikanth made his professional debut in the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games at the Isle of the Man. In 2014 Kidambi Srikanth upset two-time Olympian & Chinese shuttler Lin Dan in the China Open final and became the first Indian to win a Super Series Premier Men’s title. He also has the two Commonwealth Games Men’s Single events and has won 10 titles in single events. Srikanth Kidambi is honored by the Indian Government with the Arjuna Award (2015) and Padma Shri (2018).
