Ironic as it sounds, the performance dynamics of Indian badminton have changed dramatically in the past decade, but the quantum of joy gained by the lovers of the sport in the country is more or less the same. 

From the days of meagre Indian presence in singles and almost making a token appearance in doubles, the sport has moved to the other end of the scale.

India has given the world plenty of badminton superstar in the last decade and continues to do so.

While perennial stars like PV Sindhu, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy continue to shine, the younger generation has also begun to make waves on the global stage.

Let's take a look at India’s Next Badminton Superstar who can potentially carry the torch forward.

India’s Next Badminton Superstar

Anupama Upadhyaya 

At just 19, Anupama Upadhyaya has been making waves on the international circuit. 

She clinched titles at the Polish Open and Kazakhstan International Challenge last year and stunned the then-world No. 15 Beiwen Zhang at the China Masters. 

The young shuttler is a former Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Junior Number 1 player. 

She also clinched the Indian National Badminton Champion in 2023 in women’s singles, and represented India at the Asian Games 2023. 

She is ranked career best 42 among the senior players globally, according to BWF. 

Anupama’s eyes are now focussed on to play at the 2026 Commonwealth Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Rakshitha Ramraj

Rakshitha Ramraj is a promising singles player from Tamil Nadu who has been climbing the international ranking chart quite steadily in the last one year. 

The 17-year-old, who stands out with her height and built on the domestic circuit, clinched her first international title by winning the Slovenia Open and then added the CM Trophy International Challenge in Raipur gold medal to that tally.

In 2024, she also reached the finals of the Telangana International Challenge in Hyderabad and St Denis Reunion Open and went on to reach the quarter-finals of the senior nationals in Bengaluru.

Priyanshu Rajawat

Priyanshu Rajawat is an Indian badminton player. He was part of the Indian team that won the 2022 Thomas Cup.

The Indian shuttler has the highest World rank of 34. 

The teenage sensation has won the 2019 Bahrain International, 2021 Ukraine International, 2021 India International Challenge and 2022 India Chattisgarh International Challenge.

Additionally, the shuttler was runner-up in the 2022 Bangladesh International.

Anmol Kharb

Haryana shuttler Anmol Kharb is already justifying her name on the Indian badminton landscape.

Anmol Kharb became the women’s singles national badminton champion at the age of 16 and a year later, proved to be the driving force behind the Indian women’s team bagging a historic gold medal at the 2024 Badminton Asia Team Championships in Malaysia.

In 2019, at the age of 12, Anmol won the U-17 All India Ranking title in Hyderabad, her first national-level title. 

She also made the semi-finals of the Senior All India Ranking tournament in Visakhapatnam that year and got picked for the government of India’s Khelo India scheme, which provides assistance to budding athletes.

Anmol moved up a gear in 2020, winning the under-17 national titles in both singles and doubles, for which she partnered up with Vennala K.

It was in 2023 that Anmol Kharb shot into the limelight. At the senior nationals held in Guwahati, the youngster outplayed Tanvi Khanna to pocket her first senior national title, at age 16.

In the semis, the Saina Nehwal fan accounted for her senior compatriot Ashmita Chaliha, a regular on the BWF World Tour.

Malvika Bansod

In her early 20s, Malvika Bansod made headlines after winning the silver medal at the 2022 Syed Modi International tournament. That, too, in her debut season on the BWF World Tour.

In 2019, Malvika Bansod won her debut senior tournament - Maldives International – and followed it with another top finish at Annapurna Nepal International Series.

In the next two years, the youngster steadily climbed up the ladder with wins at the Uganda International and Lithuanian International.

Malvika was picked in India’s squad for the Sudirman Cup and Uber Cup in 2021.

Malvika, though, broke the drought in February 2024 after she claimed the women's singles title at the Azerbaijan International badminton tournament.

On the way, she defeated compatriots Anupama Upadhyaya in the semis and Tanya Hemanth in the final.

In September, she defeated an Olympic bronze medallist for the second time in her career.

At the China Open, she stunned Paris 2024 bronze winner Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia in a hard-fought straight games.

Two months later she made the final of the Hylo Open 2024 in Germany but lost to Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt.

However, reaching the summit clash made Malvika only the third Indian women's singles player after Saina and Sindhu to reach the final of a BWF World Tour tournament outside India.

Over the years, Malvika Bansod has proven she possesses all the tools to scale greater heights in the future for India.

The Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty performed brilliantly in the Singapore Open 2025 badminton tournament, making it to the semifinals with a straight-game win over world No. 1 Malaysian duo of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin on Friday.

Also Read : Kidambi Srikanth Stuns Yushi Tanaka to Reach Malaysia Masters Final, First Since 2019

The Indian pair, which has been facing fitness challenges for some time, showed excellent performance in this match. The Indian pair displayed rock-solid defence and controlled the front court with precision to register a 21-17, 21-15 win in a 39-minute quarterfinal clash at the Singapore Open 2025 Super 750 badminton tournament.

Third semifinal of the season

This is their third semifinal appearance of the season, having reached the last-four stage at both the Malaysia and India Open earlier this year.

The former world No. 1 Indians held a 6-2 head-to-head record against the Malaysians going into the match, although they had lost their most recent meeting at the India Open.

Match Report

The match began with two service faults in the first four points and featured short rallies as both pairs looked to execute angled returns and attack at the earliest opportunity. As a result, the score moved evenly from 1-1 to 7-7 before the Indians gained a three-point cushion at the interval, with Satwik dictating the serve and third shot.

The Indian pair maintained the pressure to go up 15-11 before Satwik committed a service error and Izzuddin unleashed a jump smash to narrow the gap to 13-15. A brutal forehand smash from Satwik pushed India ahead at 18-15. Izzuddin then hit one wide, and Chirag, who had earlier sent a shot long, redeemed himself with a straight smash to earn three game points.

Goh buried a service return into the net, handing the Indians the opening game and the early advantage. Chirag made a few errors early in the second game, but the Indians did well to keep pace in the high-speed exchanges, with the score level at 6-6.

Satwik and Chirag then reeled off four consecutive points before an unforced error halted their momentum. A body blow from Chirag forced a weak return from Izzuddin into the net, giving India a four-point lead at the interval. A sharp backhand at the net took the Indians to 15-9 after the break. Satwik then sent down a thunderous smash to make it 16-10.

Though the Indians committed a few unforced errors, Satwik produced another fierce return to earn five match points. They sealed the win after another error from their opponents.

Kidambi Srikanth turned back the clock in spectacular fashion, battling past Japan’s Yushi Tanaka 21-18, 23-21 in a heart-pounding semi-final at the Malaysia Masters on Saturday.

The 32-year-old Indian badminton star, once the world’s best, is now headed to his first BWF World Tour final since 2019—a moment that feels like a triumphant homecoming for fans who’ve cheered him through thick and thin.

Srikanth, who had slipped to world number 82 earlier this month, battled through the qualifiers to reach the main draw of the tournament. Srikanth's journey to the final has been nothing short of inspiring, as he outclassed higher-ranked opponents with a combination of determination and resilience.

Read Also | India’s Next Badminton Superstar: The Rising Stars to Watch in 2025

The tightly contested match against Tanaka saw Srikanth hold his nerve in crunch moments, particularly in the second game, where he edged out a 23-21 victory after a very close finish.

KIDAMBI SRIKANTH HAS DONE IT 🤯🥹

- First BWF Final for him in 6 Year! pic.twitter.com/Op7XhNE5yj

— The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) May 24, 2025

This achievement marks a significant comeback for the Indian shuttler, who has faced challenges with form and rankings in recent years. His last BWF final appearance was at the 2019 India Open against Viktor Axelsen, and this achievement in Kuala Lumpur signals a potential return to his peak form.

Srikanth will now face either Kodai Naraoka of Japan or China's Li Shi Feng in the final, as he aims to clinch his first title since the 2017 French Open.

I'M CRYING 😭❤️

Srikanth Kidambi Into The Finals Of BWF Malaysia Masters 2025 !!!

Srikanth Kidambi Defeats Yushi Tanaka In Straight Games
🇮🇳 21-18 , 24-22 🇯🇵

Final vs Kodai Naraoka 🇯🇵 / Li Shi Feng 🇨🇳
Goodluck For The Finals Srikanth ❤️✨#MalaysiaMasters2025 pic.twitter.com/jUzvlkPAAV

— Badminton Media (@BadmintonMedia1) May 24, 2025

India's experienced shuttler Kidambi Srikanth on Friday booked his berth in the semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters 2025 badminton tournament. Srikanth is now the only Indian in the tournament.

Also Read: India’s Next Badminton Superstar: The Rising Stars to Watch in 2025

First semi-final in a year

Against world number 65, Srikanth defeated France's 18th seed Toma Junior Popov 24-22, 17-21, 22-20 in a match that lasted one hour and 14 minutes. Former world number one Srikanth will have to overcome the challenge of Japan's Yushi Tanaka to make it to the Malaysia Masters 2025 final. Tanaka defeated Toma Junior's brother Christo Popov 21-18, 16-21, 21-6.

This will be the first semi-final in a year for World Championship and Asian Games silver medalist Srikanth.

Srikanth made inspiring comeback to seal the contest

The Indian badminton player made a brisk start, surging to a 7-4 lead in the opening game, only for Popov to claw his way back. It was the French shuttler who held a game point opportunity at 21-20, but Srikanth turned the tide to snatch the opener.

Srikanth trailed by four points at the break in the second game. He drew level at 15-15 but lost steam as the match went into the decider.

Srikanth was also four points behind his opponent in the third midgame break of the match, but this time, he mounted an inspiring comeback to seal the contest. It was his fourth win over Toma Junior Popov from six meetings.

Also Read: Indian Badminton players struggle with the slow court: Here is why

Kapila-Crasto's journey ends in quarter-finals

In the other semi-final, fourth seed Kodai Naraoka of Japan and second seed Li Shi Feng of China will face each other. In mixed doubles, the journey of the pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto came to an end in the quarter-finals. Kapila and Crasto lost to top seeds Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin of China 22-24, 13-21 in 35 minutes.

Indian badminton player Lakshya Sen crashed out in the first round of the Thailand Open 2025 badminton tournament while Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap and Unnati Hooda advanced to the second round of the women's singles after winning tough matches in the Super 500 tournament.

Unnati faces a tough challenge

Unnati Hooda faces a tough challenge against top seed Pornpawee Chochuwong, while Malvika Bansod takes on former world champion and seasoned Thai shuttler Ratchanok Intanon in the second round.

Aakarshi Kashyap completes the women's singles trio as she looks to continue her campaign. In the men’s singles draw, Tharun Mannepalli remains the lone Indian hope.

Lakshya and Priyanshu suffered early exits

In the men's singles, both Lakshya Sen and Priyanshu Rajawat suffered early exits, bowing out in the first round. The women’s singles saw better fortunes, with Aakarshi Kashyap, Unnati Hooda, and Malvika Bansod progressing to the second round, while Anupama Upadhyay and Santosh Ramraj were eliminated.

Lakshya Sen was ousted by Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen in a three-game encounter that lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes. Sen, ranked among India’s top badminton talents, went down 18-21, 21-9, 17-21 in a match that saw momentum swings.

After narrowly losing the opening game, Sen responded with a dominating performance in the second, unleashing sharp smashes and fast-paced rallies to level the match. But Nguyen dug deep in the decider, pulling ahead 17-13 and holding his composure in the pressure moments to complete the upset and move into the second round. India’s men’s singles woes were compounded by Priyanshu Rajawat’s exit, as he fell short in another three-game battle, losing 13-21, 21-17, 16-21 to Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan.

Kidambi Srikanth could not qualify for main round

Earlier, former world no.1 Kidambi Srikanth could not qualify for the main round of the Thailand Open 2025 badminton tournament after losing his second match in the qualifiers on Tuesday.

Srikanth, a world championships silver medallist, defeated Sankar Subramanian 21-15, 21-17 in his first round of qualifiers before losing to Tharun Mannepalli 21-16, 21-19 in the second.

India's Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto defeated People's Republic of China's Gao Jia Xuan and Wu Meng Ying in straight games to enter the semi-finals of the German Open 2025 badminton tournament on Friday.

Paris Olympics 2024 star Tanisha Crasto and her mixed doubles partner Dhruv Kapila produced a brilliant performance to defeat the Chinese pair 21-14, 21-17 in just 30 minutes.

Also Read: India’s Legacy in Badminton: From Prakash Padukone to the New Generation of Champions

Kapil-Crasto only Indian left in the tournament 

Kapila and Crasto have kept India's hopes alive at the German Open 2025, all eyes will be on their semi-final clash as they aim to make the final.

They will now take on Indonesia's Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja in the semi-finals.

Indian pair took the first game

Kapila and Crasto made a great start and took an 11-2 lead in the opening game. 

Although Gao and Wu made a brief comeback to reduce the lead to 13-10, the Indian pair quickly established their dominance to take the first game.

The second game proved to be a tough match, with the Chinese pair putting up strong resistance. 

However, Kapila and Crasto held their nerve to win and book a place in the semi-finals.

Unnati Hooda lost

Meanwhile, in the men's singles, India's Tharun Mannepalli, ranked 59th in the world, crashed out of the German Open 2025 tournament after losing a tough match 16-21, 21-17, 21-8 to third seed Toma Popov of France.

In the women's singles category, world number 64 Unnati Hooda suffered defeat after a marathon battle against 41st ranked Riko Gunji of Japan. 

Hooda won the first game 21-15 but lost match points in the next two games and eventually lost 15-21, 25-23, 24-22.

India's Rakshitha Sree Ramraj and Tasnim Mir also bowed out after losing in the women's singles category. 

Ramraj lost 12-21, 12-21 against fourth seed Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark, while Mir retired against Thuy Linh Nguyen of Vietnam.

Mir was trailing 19-21, 21-12, 0-7 before losing the match.