Badminton in India is seemingly on the rise. After a stellar performance from the badminton contingent at the Tokyo Olympics, the group backed it up with a strong performance at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham earlier this year.
It has been a feature of Indian badminton players to often shine on the singles stage. In this article, I present to you my top 10 female singles badminton players from India.
Also Read – Top 10 male badminton players in India
PV Sindhu
PV Sindhu is by far the best female badminton player in India right now. She continues to carry the torch for badminton in the country. The 27-year-old from Hyderabad is currently ranked sixth in the world and is currently coached by former South Korean player Park Tae-sang.
Sindhu has won accolades on two occasions at the world’s greatest sports event. Her first Olympic medal came in 2016 as she bagged the silver in Rio. She continued to shine at the Olympics by bagging the bronze in Tokyo 2020. She has also won back-to-back gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in the years 2018 and 2022. Her latest World Championship triumph came in 2019 as she took gold in Basel.
Saina Nehwal
Saina Nehwal is one of the biggest names in the Indian badminton circuit. Although her career has taken a downturn since 2018, Nehwal remains a household name in the sport. Now 32, Nehwal, like many of her fellow professional badminton players hailing from Hyderabad, is coached by Puella Gopichand.
Nehwal is currently ranked 33rd, far from her career-best ranking of No. 1. Her latest triumph in a major tournament came in Gold Coast when she bagged the gold at the Commonwealth Games. She also won the bronze at the 2012 London Olympics and is one of the few to have won an Olympic medal in the 21st century.
Malvika Bansod
Malvika Bansod is a young, up-and-coming badminton player who hails from Maharashtra. She is 21 years old and is currently ranked 39th in the world. She is coached by Sanjay Mishra.
Although Bansod does not have much to show in terms of silverware at the highest level, she has four BWF International Challenge/Series titles, along with a solitary runner-up-finish at the World Tour.
Aakarshi Kashyap
Aakarshi Kashyap adds to the young stars on this list. The 21-year-old hails from Durg, Chhattisgarh and is currently ranked 44th in the world. She is slowly working her way into the thick of major tournaments.
Kashyap made the side that participated in the mixed team event at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games earlier this year, where she helped the team secure silver. She also won gold in the team event at the South Asian Games in 2019.
Anupama Upadhyaya
Anupama Upadhyaya is yet another youngster who is full of promise for the future. Still only 17, Upadhyaya currently finds herself ranked 53rd in the world, one rank short of her career-best. She is a student of the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bengaluru.
Upadhyaya is yet to compete for medals at the top level. However, she has two BWF International Challenge/Series titles to go with her solitary BWF Junior International title.
Ashmita Chaliha
Ashmita Chaliha takes the sixth spot on this list. The 23-year-old hails from Assam and is currently ranked 57th in the world. She is coached by Edwin Iriawan.
In terms of achievements thus far, Chaliha won gold in the South Asian Championships. She won gold not only in the singles event but also in the women’s team event. She also has two BDF International Challenge/Series titles to her name.
Tanya Hemanth
Tanya Hemanth is a 19-year-old showing lots of promise. The Bangalore-based youngster is currently placed 64th in the world, which is one short of her career-highest ranking.
Being a youngster, some of Hemanth’s major achievements have come at the junior level. She has two BWF Junior International titles. She also has a BWF International Challenge/Series title to go with her junior championships.
Samiya Imad Farooqui
Samiya Imad Farooqui, just like Tanya Hemanth, is 19 years old. Former Indian badminton player Puella Gopichand has trained the Hyderabad-based girl. Farooqui is ranked 65th in the world, one below Tanya Hemanth.
So far, Farooqui has stamped her authority on the junior circuit. She won the Under-15 Asian Championships in 2017. Now, she is prepared to take on her competition at the senior level.
Ira Sharma
Ira Sharma is ninth on this list and is a promising young talent. Aged just 22, she is ranked 66th in the world and has her two Indian compatriots placed just above her. Her current rank is also her highest-ever career rank.
Tasnim Mir
Tasnim Mir is the second seventeen-year-old and the final player on this list. She hails from Gujarat and is 72nd in the world rankings at the moment.
Mir has several junior titles to her name. She won the BWF Junior International seven times across three years. Furthermore, she has two BWF International Challenge/Series titles, which she claimed earlier this year.