Here’s our take on the current top 10 Indian male players in singles badminton based on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings.
Also read: Top 20 male badminton players in the world
HS Prannoy
HS Prannoy has been around for a while and is currently the highest-ranked Indian singles player. The 31-year-old from New Delhi stands eighth in the BWF rankings, three places below his career-best of sixth.
Prannoy, like many top badminton stars from the country, has been coached by Pullela Gopichand.
Pranoy was a part of the team that won the Thomas Cup in 2022. However, he has been starved of glory at the singles stage in major tournaments. He was also part of the team that won gold in the mixed team event at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018.
Lakshya Sen
The 22-year-old is ranked 19th in the world at the moment and is one of India’s most promising players. Born in Almora, Uttarakhand, Sen has given an excellent account of himself in recent tournaments.
Sen bagged a gold at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. He was also a member of the team that won the 2022 Thomas Cup gold and made up the side that won silver in the team event at the 2022 CWG. He was also a silver-medallist at the Youth Olympics that were held in 2018.
Kidambi Srikanth
Up next is a slightly more experienced campaigner in Kidambi Srikanth. Coached by Pullela Gopichand, the 29-year-old is currently ranked 25th in the world.
Srikanth was also a member of the team that won the gold at the 2022 Thomas Cup. He also won a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games singles competition.
Priyanshu Rajawat
Despite being just 21 years old, Priyanshu Rajawat has already made his mark on the Indian badminton community. He is currently ranked 30th in the world.
Rajawat was also a part of the winning team that took the 2022 Thomas Cup. Many will be looking forward to more glory from the youngster in the years to come.
Kiran George
Another one for the future, 23-year-old Kiran George hails from Kerala and is currently ranked 44th in the world, which is also his career-best ranking.
As of now, George only has two World Tour and three BWF International titles to his name.
Sathish Kumar Karunakaran
22-year-old Satish Kumar Karunakaran is currently placed 50th in the BWF rankings. Hailing from Tamil Nadu, he boasts of a career-best rank of 49th in men’s singles category.
Karunakaran has notably won one BWF World Tour title and five BWF International Challenge/Series titles.
Mithun Manjunath
Bengaluru-based Mithun Manjunath is ranked 64th in the world at the moment. South Korea’s Yoo Yong-sung and India’s Vimal Kumar are among the coaches Manjunath has had thus far in his career.
Manjunath still awaits some of the honours others have on this list, although he did finish runner-up at the 2022 Orléans Masters.
Also read: Mastercard signs with Indian Badminton Stars
SS Muthusamy
This 20-year-old starlet currently holds a men’s singles ranking of 71st. The boy from Tamil Nadu is a also former world No.1 in junior singles badminton.
Muthusamy has won one BWF International Challenger/Series title to go with his two BWF Junior International honours.
Sameer Verma
Sameer Verma is an experienced campaigner from Dhar, Madhya Pradesh. The 29-year-old is currently ranked 75th in the world, far from his career-best ranking of 11th.
Verma’s triumphs as a singles player came largely during his junior championship days. One of his best achievements is his silver-medal finish at the 2011 Asian Junior Championship held in Lucknow.
Sai Praneeth
Hyderabad-based Sai Praneeth is yet another player who has been around for quite some time. The 31-year-old is currently ranked 93rd in the world and is another one of Pullela Gopichand’s trainees.
Praneeth’s latest triumph in a singles tournament came when he won bronze at the World Championships in Basel in 2019. Apart from this victory, he also won bronze at the Junior Championships in 2010.
Also read: Top 20 female badminton players in the world
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