Finding the next-gen in Indian badminton

Badminton seems to be undergoing a transition. After a long gap, no Indian player currently features in the top 10 rankings

- Arun Janardhan

Lakshya Sen was twice in a position to grab a medal in badminton at the Paris 2024 Olympics. In the semi-final, he lost to Viktor Axelsen after seeming in control of the match early on. A win would have taken him to the final and a guaranteed medal. In the match for a bronze, Sen led his opponent by a game before losing the next two.

Those defeats summed up 2024 for Indian badminton, as a year in which the country's premier badminton players appeared to have lost their lustre. There were no singles titles for any player—Sen has won only one title since the Olympics, the Syed Modi India International in December, and hasn't made it past any quarter-finals this year.

"He would have won more, but the competitive environment is not set for him. He is brilliant, but it's not his fault (for not winning more)," says Parupalli Kashyap, a former world No. 6 who has now pivoted to coaching. "His work ethic and attitude are great. He has pulled off some amazing matches in the past. But if you see now, his performances have dropped considerably."

Sen follows a generation of badminton players who, under the tutelage of Pullela Gopi Chand, achieved considerable success, turning India into a badminton powerhouse. In 2022, Indian men won the Thomas Cup team event for the first time in its 70-odd-year history, showcasing an all-round strength and depth.

Saina Nehwal won an Olympic bronze medal in 2012 London, P. V. Sindhu got two, a silver in 2016 Rio de Janeiro and a bronze in 2020 (held in 2021) Tokyo, ranking as high as No. 2. Kidambi Srikanth was once world No. 1, a silver medallist in the 2021 World Championships while H.S. Prannoy, once world No. 6, finished third in the 2023 World Championships.