PV Sindhu is the first Indian player to become the badminton world champion. At the very young age of 27, she has already become the most successful sportsperson of India. From winning medals at various tournaments to achieving several national awards, she has been completely sensational in badminton.

The world No.7 is the first and only Indian to become the badminton world champion and only the second individual athlete from India to win two consecutive medals at the Olympic games. She has won gold medal at the 2019 World Championships. In the 2016 Summer Olympics, she represented India and became the first Indian badminton player to reach the Olympic final. So in her 27th birthday, let's recall some records held by the young talent of Indian Badminton.

PV Sindhu records:

• PV Sindhu is the first Indian singles player to win gold in BWF World Championship. She defeated Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in the final by 21-7, 21-7 in 2019 to achieve the gold. Before getting this achievement, she had already won two silvers in the 2017 and 2018 events.

• Sindhu won BWF World Tour finals only at the age of 24. She beat Nozomi Okuhara in the final by 21-19, 21-17 and set a record of winning the World Tour final for the first time in Indian Badminton history.
• Sindhu is considered as the most energetic player of all time. During the 2017 World Championships, she set a record of playing the longest World Championships final. She played the match for 110 minutes against Okuhara but couldn't manage to win, the Japanese player defeated her by 21-19, 20-22, 22-20.
• Speaking of Olympic, Sindhu made India proud by winning silver at the Olympic. She is first Indian singles player to win silver in Olympic. Besides, Sindhu achieved the feat during the 2016 Rio Olympics as well as won bronze in the 2020 olympics.
• Sindhu's achievements in the World Championships knows no boundaries as she holds another record of winning five World Championships medal. She is the only Indian to hold five World Championships medal- Gold(2019), Silver (2012 and 2018), Bronze (2013 and 2014), and Silver(2021).
• Sindhu had earned silver medal in the 2018 Asian games. She defeated Japanese opponent Akane Yamaguchi by 21-17, 15-21, 21-10 and qualify for the historic final. She is the first Indian to reach the final
• In the 2018 Commonwealth games, the world No.7 again won silver by defeating Michelle Li in the final. But unfortunately lost to Saina Nehwal in the final.

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.

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.

PUMA has roped in the Indian Badminton sensation PV Sindhu as its new brand ambassador, partnering in a multi-year deal. 

The German Sports Apparel brand has chosen India as the first country to expand its orbit in the world of sports, marking its official appearance in Badminton. 

Ahead of the announcement, PUMA has executed a pioneering move, changing its brand signage to 'PVMA'  at several official stores in the country for almost a week.

 

 

 

 

 

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PV Sindhu becomes the new brand ambassador of PUMA 

PV Sindhu is undoubtedly one of the greatest Indian badminton icons of this generation, surging the excitement of the game into millions of fans in India. The two-time Olympic medalist has achieved numerous accolades throughout her career, popularizing the game among Indian sports fanatics.

Sindhu has not only become the first Indian to conquer five badminton world championship medals, but also she has earned noteworthy honours such as the Khel Ratna, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Arjuna Award.

However, Sindhu's unparalleled achievements have injected interest among the youth, and PUMA has adopted the plan to capitalize on the popularity of the 29-year-old. 

According to the Google-Deloitte Think Sports report from 2024, India has a growing fanbase of Badminton, which stands at nearly 57 million. 

PUMA adopted an unprecedented marketing strategy to draw the interest of Indian sports fans, changing their brand name to 'PVMA' in several stores and many billboards across India for almost a week.

This move left the netizens and fans wondering as some speculated the possibility of onboarding PV Sindhu, whereas the partnership has been made official today. 

Many PUMA stores across India have changed their logo and branding to “PVMA”.
This change can be seen in the Indian website as well.

What’s happening? 👀 🚨 pic.twitter.com/ecPbCe2WzW

— sid (@immasiddx) January 11, 2025

However, The partnership between PUMA and Sindhu will debut at the India Open 2025 in New Delhi. This exciting collaboration will bring a high-performance badminton range soon, featuring specialized footwear, apparel, and accessories. 

Sindhu has expressed her elation regarding this move, stating the following.

I’m excited to join the PUMA family, a brand that shares my belief in the power of sport to inspire. This partnership with PUMA India isn’t just about being part of something bigger—it is an opportunity to connect with those who value pushing boundaries and embracing challenges.

“Badminton has always been a platform for growth and self-discovery for me, and through this collaboration, I hope to encourage others, especially women, to take risks, believe in themselves, and strive for more—both on and off the court,

Karthik Balagopalan, Managing Director of PUMA India, said:

PV Sindhu is a legend and a trailblazer, and we are proud & delighted to welcome her into our PUMA family. She is the most followed badminton athlete in the world. Her extraordinary legacy in Indian sports which includes a lot of historic firsts has not only placed India on the badminton map globally but has also inspired millions, pushed the boundaries, and paved the way for future generations of athletes.

“As we make our first-ever step into badminton, this association will further our goal to increase PUMA’s footprint in the rapidly growing sports landscape in the country, inspiring more youngsters to take up the racquet-sport,

On Tuesday, the organizers of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026 confirmed that only 10 sports will be played in limited venues to keep the finances in check. 

A previously proposed event, that had a minimum of 20 disciplines was reduced to half, which has sparked disappointments amongst many Indians. The reason is quite simple. The Indian-dominated sports like badminton, hockey, cricket, and weightlifting have been axed. 

Not only that, a sport like squash, which gets major highlights in the CWG due to its absence in the Olympics, has been eliminated.

The IOA (Indian Olympics Association) president, PT Usha, too expressed her despondency towards the decision. But, why? 

The point is, how relevant are "Commonwealth Games," previously known as "British Empire Games," in a decolonized era?

The Idea behind Commonwealth Games

A brainchild of revered Canadian sportswriter and editor Melville Marks Robinson, the Commonwealth Games had its origin in 1930, bearing an essence of still-accepted colonialism. A total of 54 countries, who were once colonies of the British Empire, participated in this event.

The 2022 version, however, saw 72 nations participating.

Inspired by the 1911 Inter Empire Championships, this unique event has been hosted across nine countries. Australia and Canada lead with five editions each. 

Standing in 2024, when the phrase "third-world country" seems nonexistent, who would ever succumb to the pre-established boot-licking attitude toward the English, that too spending some billion dollars for hosting?

Finance definitely raises eyebrows, but the motto it has been carrying for so long should come into question, even in countries like India.

U-turn from Australia to Glasgow

Australia, a country that has hosted the event at least five times, has denied hosting it. Initially, it was Victoria's assignment to conduct the event. However, the arrangement costs skyrocketed from an estimated Aus$2 billion to an alarming Aus$7 billion.

Premier Daniel Andrews, in the press conference in Melbourne, clearly stated that he would never dare to pluck in a huge sum from the funds of hospitals and schools for a sporting event. 

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) scrambled to find a replacement, offering Malaysia £100 million to step in. Even with such a hefty financial contribution, Malaysia turned down the offer, citing insufficient preparation time and the prohibitive costs of hosting the event.

Even Canada's Alberta province last year withdrew its support for a bid for the 2030 Games.

Financial Suffering

The rejections have somehow brought in a raw, uncut picture to the world. The sentiments, accompanied by the suffering, take a long time to recover.

Countries are unwilling to foot the massive bill for an event, even when provided with financial assistance. The event brings in little to no economic return and dwindling global interest.

The Commonwealth Games, which seemed like a prestigious event, has been a burden — a relic of the past whose significance is diminishing in a world with far more pressing priorities.

Glasgow steps in

Following the repeated rejections, there was a point when the Commonwealth Games future looked uncertain for the 2026 version. Countries backing out brought clouds of a postponed tournament before its centenary year in 2030.

At that point, Glasgow stepped in. Glasgow had its experience of hosting a CWG, as it did in 2014. This time, it made the event easy.

Glasgow decided to host a severely pared-down version of the CWG in 2026, with 4 venues in an 8-mile radius. Not only that, the number of participants will also be restricted.

Birmingham's Commonwealth Games: A Legacy of Financial Strain?

Birmingham stepped up to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games when Durban withdrew, promising a grand event to boost the city. However, financial issues soon arose, leading to political tension and public concern.

Max Caller, former adviser to Birmingham City Council, called the decision to host the Games "a mistake" amidst longstanding financial problems. Hosting the event diverted attention from the council’s critical issues, including a £760 million bill for equal pay claims and a botched IT system that may cost £100 million to fix.

While the Games were an "amazing event," their financial aftermath sparked debates, with citizens worried about budget cuts affecting essential services. Community centres, libraries, and even the famed German Christmas Market could face closures as the council struggles with bankruptcy.

But is finance the real concern?

India had hosted the 2010 CWG, followed by financial turmoil in the country. It took years for the country to overcome. India has now successfully bid for the Olympics 2036. 

Hosting the Olympics has also led to never-ending financial scars for many countries. Athens is a prominent name in that. 

But yet, countries hardly step back to host it. Is it really the finances or the pride that pushes them to bid for the Olympics?

Will India suffer from the reduction?

In the idealistic world of sport, India shouldn't. In such a situation, the question comes: how relevant is CWG to the sporting world? 

With the rising popularity of the Asian Games that have dominated countries like China and the Olympics, which is the oldest and largest form of multidisciplinary sports event, CWG falls short in both glamour and relevance.

The limited exposure giving year-old consolation to the country with an "international medal" has been falling short repeatedly in the Olympics. The count of CWG medalist athletes who have earned a medal in the Olympics is relatively low. A Mirabai Chanu, a PV Sindhu, or a Neeraj Chopra is countable. 

When at one corner, it is justified to be upset knowing that Indian dominance has been restricted, then at the other corner, another question gets tossed—why does India need going-to-be-abolished events to prove its excellence? 

India, which takes pride in being a sporting excellence and a country that tried to push cricket hard in the Olympics, should think if it's really dominant or not.

Does Commonwealth participation assure greatness?

Usain Bolt, at his peak point in his career, decided to participate only in the 4x100m relay in Glasgow (2014). Not only that, he was nowhere in New Delhi (2010) too, despite India's desperate request to have him.

Sir Chris Hoy, too, stayed away from the Delhi games because a win wouldn't have added any decorated feather to his already stellar career.

In the harshest reality, a hundred medals won't assure at least 50 medals in the Asian Games itself. Olympics are out of reach!

Medal tally for India in CWG, in its popular sport