Rahul NareshHere’s our take on the current top 10 Indian female players in singles badminton based on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings.
Also read: Top 10 male badminton players in India
PV Sindhu
PV Sindhu remains India’s leading shuttler and continues to carry the torch for badminton in the country. The 28-year-old from Hyderabad is currently ranked tenth in the world and 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.
Aakarshi Kashyap
Aakarshi Kashyap adds to the young stars on this list. The 22-year-old hails from Durg, Chhattisgarh, and is currently ranked 41st 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, where she helped the team secure silver. She also won gold in the team event at the South Asian Games in 2019.
Unnati Hooda
The 16-year-old shuttler from Rohtak certainly has a promising future to look forward to. She’s currently ranked 54th in the world, which is also her career best.
So far in her short career, Hooda’s won two BWF World Tour titles as well as one BWF International Challenge honour.
Malvika Bansod
Malvika Bansod is an up-and-coming badminton player who hails from Maharashtra. She is 22 years old and currently ranked 56th 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 does have to her name four BWF International Challenge/Series titles along with a solitary runner-up finish at the World Tour.
Ashmita Chaliha
24-year-old Ashmita Chaliha hails from Assam and is currently ranked 61st in the world. She is coached by Edwin Iriawan.
In terms of achievements thus far, Chaliha has won gold in the South Asian Championships. She has won gold not only in a singles event but also in a team event, having to her name two BDF International Challenge/Series titles.
Tanya Hemanth
Tanya Hemanth is a 20-year-old showing lots of promise. The Bengaluru-based youngster is currently placed 69th in the world and boasts a career-high ranking of 41st.
Most of Hemanth’s major achievements have come at the junior level. She has two BWF Junior International titles and one BWF International Challenge/Series title to her name.
Tasnim Mir
At just 18 years old, Gujarat-hailing Tasnim Mir is 73rd in the world rankings at the moment.
Mir has several junior titles to her name. She won the BWF Junior International seven times in a span of three years. She has also won two BWF International Challenge/Series titles.
Samiya Imad Farooqui
20-year-old Samiya Imad Farooqui is trained by former Indian badminton player Pullela Gopichand. The Hyderabad-based player is currently ranked 74th in the world.
So far, Farooqui has stamped her authority mostly on the junior circuit, having notably won the Under-15 Asian Championships in 2017.
Anupama Upadhyaya
Still only 18, Upadhyaya currently finds herself ranked 86th in the world — a fair way away from her career-best ranking of 21st. She is a student of the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bengaluru.
Upadhyaya is yet to compete for medals at the top level, though she does have to her name three BWF International Challenge/Series titles to go with her solitary BWF Junior International title.
Gadde Ruthvika Shivani
This 26-year-old shuttler from Vijaywada, under the guidance of Pullela Gopichand, currently holds a world ranking of 103rd and has a career-best ranking of 49th.
Shivani was a part of the team that won gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 in the mixed team event. She also bagged a couple of golds at the South Asian Games in 2016.
