A series of names have etched their identities into the Indian badminton landscape. Indians are known to be biased towards cricket, but a notable shift towards other sports can be observed, and badminton is at the top of the list. The major reason for this big shift is the skill and popularity of Indian players.
The benchmark that they have created: three Olympic medals, two formerly ranked world No. 1, and the first world championship crown and many more. Let us go through some of the top badminton player names in India.
How Did the Shift Towards Liking Badminton Start?
It started with the first international win in 1956 when Nandu Naketar from India made his iconic first win in an international tournament. The start of the era.
Then came the players: Prakash Padukone, Pullela Gopichand, followed by Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu with more wins and laurels.
It is also necessary to mention players like Parupalli Kashyap, Kidambi Srikanth, B Sai Praneeth, Jwala Gutta, and Ashwini Ponapp, who made significant contributions to taking badminton to a whole new level.
Top 10 Indian Badminton Players of All Time
1. Nandu Natekar
Nandu Natekar, the father of Indian badminton, was the first Indian to win an international title in 1956.
This legendary badminton player, former World No.3, was considered the greatest player of his time. Natekar represented the Indian team at the Thomas Cup between 1951 and 1963. He was the prestige of Indian Badminton, representing India at the 1965 Commonwealth Games in Jamaica.
Moreover, he was also the first Indian to win the national badminton championships for four consecutive years, from 1953 to 1956, which was a great achievement. A great loss for the country when he passed away on 28th July 2021. Once a legend, always a legend.
Nandu Natekar: Achievement
| Player Name | Awards/Achievements |
| Nandu Natekar | Bronze in Asian Championships Arjuna Award |
2. Prakash Padukone
Prakash Padukone, the icon of Indian badminton, was a pioneering player who took this sport to another level. He started with domestic gameplay and soon rose to the international level by winning gold at the 1978 Commonwealth Games.
This was the start of his era. In 1980, he was ranked World No. 1; the same year, he became the first Indian to win the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships. This historic win created a great badminton wave in India. The Government of India awarded him the Arjuna Award in 1972 and the Padma Shri in 1982.
Moreover, he founded Padukone Sports Management to popularise badminton in the country and provide international-level coaching to upcoming stars.
Prakash Padukone: Achievement
| Player Name | Awards/Achievements |
| Prakash Padukone | Bronze medal in Men’s singles, World Cup (x2) Bronze medal in Men’s singles, World Games Gold medal in Men’s singles, Commonwealth Games Bronze medal in Men’s Team, Asian Games (x2) Silver medal in Men’s team, Asian Championships Bronze medal in Men’s singles, Asian Championships |
3. Pullela Gopichand
When talking about badminton, Pullela Gopichand is a name you can never miss. He has great wins and records. He was also the second Indian player to win the most prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships in 2001.
And not to forget, he is the coach who helped both Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu in their journey to win Olympic medals. Gopichand’s career is full of highlights, and it is noteworthy that he did not drop a single game throughout the tournament. In 2006, the Badminton Association of India named Gopichand the coach of the Indian national badminton team, and in 2008, he opened a badminton academy in Hyderabad.
Pullela Gopichand: Achievement
| Player Name | Awards/Achievements |
| Pullela Gopichand | Silver medal in Men’s team event, Commonwealth Games. Bronze medal in Men’s singles event, Commonwealth Games. Bronze medal in Men’s singles event, Asian Championships. |
4. Saina Nehwal
Saina Nehwal is an icon of Indian badminton. She was the first Olympic medalist, which set a platform for many aspiring players.
Saina created history by winning the bronze medal at the London 2012 Games, which was game-changing for the Indian badminton landscape. Saina set some great benchmarks for the upcoming players to look forward to, undoubtedly starting a new wave of energy in them.
One of her records includes being the only Indian woman to hold the world’s number-one position. To date, Saina has won 24 international championships. She rose to the heights by sheer skills and dedication and inspired many to pursue their dream.
Saina Nehwal: Achievement
| Player Name | Awards/Achievements |
| Saina Nehwal | Olympic Games: 1x Bronze in Women’s singles (2012 London) World Championships: 1x Silver, 2x Bronze in Women’s singles Uber Cup: 2x Bronze in Women’s team Commonwealth Games: 2x Gold, 1x Silver, 1x Bronze in Women’s singles; 1x Gold, 2x Silver, 1x Bronze in Mixed team Asian Games: 1x Bronze in Women’s team; 1x Bronze in Women’s singles Asian Championships: 3x Bronze in Women’s singles World Junior Championships: 1x Gold, 1x Silver in Girls’ singles Commonwealth Youth Games: 1x Gold, 1x Silver in Girls’ singles |
5. PV Sindhu
PV Sindhu marked her presence by winning the Junior Asian Championship 2012. This was the start, and she quickly won a bronze medal at the 2014 World Championship. PV Sindhu became a country-wide phenomenon after winning a Silver Medal at the Olympics.
The cherry on the top was the gold at the BWF World Championship. This is not it; PV Sindhu became the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals when she won a bronze medal in Tokyo in 2020.
PV Sindhu: Achievement
| Player Name | Awards/Achievements |
| PV Sindhu | Olympic Games: 1x Silver, 1x Bronze in Women’s singles World Championships: 1x Gold, 2x Silver, 2x Bronze in Women’s singles Uber Cup: 2x Bronze in Women’s team Commonwealth Games: 2x Gold, 2x Silver, 1x Bronze in Women’s singles; 1x Gold, 1x Silver in Mixed team Asian Games: 1x Silver, 1x Bronze in Women’s singles; 1x Bronze in Women’s team Asian Championships: 2x Bronze in Women’s singles Asia Mixed Team Championships: 1x Bronze in Mixed team Asia Team Championships: 1x Gold in Women’s team South Asian Games: 1x Gold, 1x Silver in Women’s team Commonwealth Youth Games: 1x Gold in Girls’ singles Asian Junior Championships: 1x Gold, 1x Bronze in Girls’ singles |
6. Kidambi Srikanth
Srikanth is also a former World No. 1, and the Indian government recognises his laurels. He was awarded the prestigious Padam Shri 2018 and the 2015 Arjuna Award, both considered to be the most prestigious awards.
Talking about Kidambi Srikanth, the notable mention of him becoming the first Indian to reach the World Championship final in the men’s singles discipline is a must.
The proud moment for all the Indians was when Kidambi Srikanth exhibited an amazing match against two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan in the final of the China Open and became the first Indian to win a Super Series Premier men’s title.
Kidambi Srikanth: Achievement
| Player Name | Awards/Achievements |
| Kidambi Srikanth | Silver medal in Men’s singles event, World Championships Gold medal in Men’s team event, Thomas Cup Gold medal in Mixed team event, Silver medal in Men’s singles event, Silver medal in Mixed team event, and Bronze medal in Men’s singles event, Commonwealth Games Silver medal in Men’s team event, Asian Games Bronze medal in Men’s team event (x2), Asia Team Championships Gold medal in Men’s singles event, and Gold medal in Men’s team event (x2), South Asian Games Bronze medal in Mixed team event, Asian Junior Championships Silver medal in Mixed doubles event, and Bronze medal in Boys’ doubles event, Commonwealth Youth Games |
7. Parupalli Kashyap
Kashyap had a successful run with many international and national titles with him.
He is one of the few players who started their career young and became renowned in the country. Starting early, Kashyap had multiple national championship titles under his belt. He made his international debut in 2010.
He went on to play the most looked-after international matches, the BWF World Tour in 2013 and the Badminton World Championships in 2014, where he reached the quarterfinals. In 2015, he won his first Super Series title by defeating Chinese superstar Lin Dan in the final of the Malaysian Open.
This is the tournament in which he also won the mixed doubles with his partner Sanam Sharma. His inspiring journey makes him a great player India has seen.
Parupalli Kashyap: Achievement
| Player Name | Awards/Achievements |
| Parupalli Kashyap | Gold medal in Men’s singles event (Commonwealth) Silver medal in Mixed team event (Commonwealth) Bronze medal in Men’s singles event (Commonwealth) Bronze medal in Men’s team event, Asia Team Championships |
8. Sai Praneeth
Sai broke the run by becoming the first Indian male to win a bronze medal at the BWF World Championship 2019. This is more special because, after 36 years, somebody won this title. Talent never goes unnoticed. Soon, Gopichand discovered Sai’s skills and selected him for the first batch of trainees at his academy in 2008.
It started when he won his first major title, a bronze medal at the BWF Junior World Championships in Mexico in 2010. And went on to win several titles Grand Prix at the 2016 Canada Open by defeating Lee Hyun-il. His win at the 2017 Singapore Open Super Series made him the fourth Indian to win a Super Series title.
Sai Praneeth: Achievement
| Player Name | Awards/Achievements |
| Sai Praneeth | BWF World Championship 2019: Bronze Medal Arjuna Award: 2019 (India’s fourth-highest sporting honor) Career-High World Ranking: No. 11 (2019) BWF Superseries: Winner (2017 Singapore Open) BWF Grand Prix: Winner (2 titles – 2016 Canada Open, 2017 Thailand Open) BWF International Challenge/Series: Winner (6 titles) World Junior Championships: Bronze Medal (2010) |
9. Chetan Anand
Chetan Anand is a notable name in the Badminton scenario; he is a three-time Commonwealth Games medallist and a four-time national champion. Born in Vijayawada on July 8, 1980, Chetan Anand was introduced to badminton by his father, Harshvardhan, who played sport for fun.
Anand has a successful international career. In 2005, he won the Irish and Scottish open badminton tournaments in Ireland and Scotland. Followed by his first Grand Prix title at the Bitburger Open in 2008.
In 2009, he won the Dutch Open Grand Prix with his career-best world ranking of world no 10.
Chetan Anand: Achievement
| Player Name | Awards/Achievements |
| Chetan Anand | Silver medal in Mixed team event, Bronze medal in Men’s singles event, and Bronze medal in Mixed team event, Commonwealth Games Gold medal in Men’s singles event, and Gold medal in Men’s team event (x5), South Asian Games Silver medal in Men’s doubles event, South Asian Games |
10. Ashwini Ponnappa
Ashwini is known to be a classy player. With remarkable wins, mostly in doubles, she has established herself as a prominent player. In pairing with Jwala Gutta, Ashwini earned numerous international titles, including Commonwealth Games gold and bronze medals at the Uber Cup.
She is the first Indian woman shuttler to win a gold medal in the doubles category at the World Badminton Championships. Moreover, Ashwini Ponnappa made her presence known when she won gold in mixed doubles at the 2010 South Asian Games in Dhaka. She is a world-class player known for her thunderous smashes and gritty court displays.
Ashwini Ponnappa: Achievement
| Player Name | Awards/Achievements |
| Ashwini Ponnappa | World Championships: 1x Bronze in Women’s doubles Uber Cup: 2x Bronze in Women’s team Commonwealth Games: 2x Gold, 3x Silver, 1x Bronze in Women’s doubles; 2x Gold, 2x Silver in Mixed team Asian Games: 1x Bronze in Women’s team Asian Championships: 1x Bronze in Women’s doubles Asia Team Championships: 1x Gold in Women’s team South Asian Games: 4x Gold, 2x Silver in Women’s doubles; 1x Gold, 1x Silver in Mixed doubles; 2x Gold, 1x Silver in Women’s team |
Conclusion
Indian Badminton has great stories of glory, from the legendary Nandu Natekar’s winning the first international title in 1956 to Saina’s first Olympic win.
The Badminton Landscape has evolved over the years, and it is no wonder that with such dedicated academies, the number of players will only increase. All this goes to the players of our country, who, with dedication, skills, hard work and perseverance, made it possible. Who is your favourite badminton player of all time? Tell us in the comments!
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