Injuries and inconsistent top-level performances plagued Indian badminton in 2025, but Lakshya Sen’s title victory, medals from Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty at the World Championships, and positive developments by the younger generation provided measured optimism in a season of transition.
With established stars battling for consistency as fitness issues disrupted preparation and rhythm throughout the year, it frequently felt more like a year of reevaluation than consolidation.
In light of this, Sen’s victory in the Australian Open Super 500 in November turned out to be the season’s biggest individual accomplishment. After a challenging period following his fourth-place result at the Olympics in Paris, the title signified a return to form.
It was Sen’s first Super 500 victory since the 2023 Canada Open and his first championship in general since taking home the Syed Modi International Super 300 trophy in December of previous year. He finished second at the Hong Kong Open and was on the verge of winning another trophy, but he was unable to cross the finish line.
Despite struggling with illness and injury early in the season, Satwiksairaj and Chirag maintained their position as India’s top doubles duo in an otherwise uneven year.
The pair finished the year on a high note by becoming the first Indian men’s doubles team to get to the BWF World Tour Finals elimination stage. They also won a bronze medal at the World Championships in Paris and advanced to the finals of the Hong Kong Open and China Masters.
The season saw signs of a comeback for former World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth, but there was no trophy. With runner-up results at the Malaysia Masters and the Syed Modi International, he turned back the clock and almost missed his opportunity to break a protracted title drought.
Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly successfully defended their women’s doubles championship at the Syed Modi International, offering a brief period of stability during a volatile season.
The next generation showed the most promising signals. The 20-year-old Ayush Shetty had a promising season, winning the US Open Super 300 and demonstrating the skills needed to compete regularly on the BWF World Tour.
His rising trend was further demonstrated by his major victories over Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen, Canada’s Brian Yang, Japan’s Kodai Naraoka, and former world champion Loh Kean Yew.
The ascent of 16-year-old Tanvi Sharma, who won silver in the girls’ singles at the World Junior Championships, was even more remarkable.
After making it to the US Open final, she almost missed her first Super 300 championship. At the Syed Modi International, she defeated former world Nozomi Okuhara, one of the season’s most notable victories. Tanvi finished second at the Guwahati Masters to round off her year.
Unnati Hooda also made consistent progress, contributing significantly to India’s bronze-medal result at the World Junior Team Championships before winning the Odisha Masters Super 100 to become the 23rd-ranked player in the world. More attention was generated by her triumph over senior countryman PV Sindhu at the China Masters.
The expanding depth of home talent was further highlighted by Sanskar Saraswat’s first Super 100 victory at the Guwahati Masters.
However, 2025 was generally disappointing for India’s senior shuttlers.
The two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu finished in three quarterfinals but was eliminated six times in the first round and four times in the second. Her campaign was hampered by a hamstring problem early in the year, and starting in October, she had to withdraw from all BWF competitions due to a foot injury.
The bronze medallist from the 2023 World Championships, HS Prannoy, had an even more difficult season due to recurrent ailments and the aftereffects of a chikungunya fight in mid-2024. Nine second-round exits and eight first-round defeats were caused by an ankle injury sustained at the India Open in January and a rib muscle injury sustained at the Korea Open in September, which prevented regular training.
