Indian Women Badminton Players

P. V. Sindhu is an Indian badminton player. In 2016, she won the Olympic silver medal in Rio de Janeiro, becoming the first Indian woman to receive an Olympic silver. Sindhu became a national icon following her performance in the 2016 Olympics. In January 2020, she was honored with the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award.

A 2-time Olympian, Indian badminton star Jwala Gutta was born to a Chinese mother and an Indian father and began training under Padma Shri-winning coach S. M. Arif at age 6. She is an 8-time South Asian Games gold medalist and a Commonwealth Games gold medal winner.

A former world no.1, Saina Nehwal holds the feat of being the only Indian female player and overall the second Indian player to achieve this ranking. She is the first Indian female to have bagged in an Olympic medal in badminton. She was also awarded India's third highest civillian award, the Padma Bhushan.

Known for her match-winning partnership with Jwala Gutta, Indian badminton player Ashwini Ponnappa was born to a hockey player father but chose badminton over hockey. A 2-time Commonwealth Games and a 4-time South Asian Games champion, she is also a former World Championship bronze winner.

The president of the Delhi Capital Badminton Association, Ameeta Singh is a former national badminton champion player who later stepped into politics. An MP from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, she represented the INC before joining the BJP. She is also the former wife of murdered badminton ace Syed Modi.

Initially a software engineer, Indian para-badminton player Manasi Girishchandra Joshi lost one of her legs in a road accident. A BWF Para-Badminton World Championship gold medalist, she is a product of badminton ace Pullela Gopichand’s academy. She became the first Indian athlete to make it to the cover of TIME magazine.

The daughter of Indian badminton legend Pullela Gopichand and his former badminton national champion wife, P. V. V. Lakshmi, Gayatri Gopichand has been a South Asian Games team champion. She also became the first female doubles player to enter the All-England Open semi-finals. She also has a Commonwealth Games silver in her kitty.

Arjuna Award-winning former Indian badminton player Aparna Popat matched Prakash Padukone's record of 9 consecutive national singles title wins. Trained by Padukone, she later also went on to win a Commonwealth Games and a World Junior Championship silver. After retiring due to an injury, she took to coaching.

Retired Indian badminton player P. V. V. Lakshmi is a former 8-time national badminton champion and the wife of badminton legend Pullela Gopichand. A Commonwealth Games bronze winner, she is also a former Olympian and the mother of badminton player Gayathri Gopichand. She now assists her husband with his badminton academy.

Indian badminton player N. Sikki Reddy is not just a former Commonwealth Games champion but also a 3-time South Asian Games champion. Known for her successful mixed-doubles partnership with Pranaav Chopra, she is also an Arjuna Award recipient. She is married to badminton player B. Sumeeth Reddy.

A product of Pullela Gopichand’s badminton academy, Indian badminton player Gadde Ruthvika Shivani stunned everyone when she defeated P. V. Sindhu at the 2016 South Asian Games to win the women’s singles gold. She also has an Uber Cup bronze and a Commonwealth Games gold in her kitty.

Arjuna Award- and Padma Shri-winning retired Indian badminton player Madhumita Bisht is an 8-time national singles champion. She has also won the national doubles championship 9 times. An Olympian, she has won a bronze each in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, too.

Retired Indian deaf badminton player Sonu Anand Sharma was part of the gold-medal-winning Indian team at the 1997 Deaflympics. The first deaf woman to be honored with the Nari Shakti award, she took to coaching post-retirement. She has also headed the Deaf Sports Association of Delhi as its Sports Director.

Indian badminton player Rituparna Das hails from the Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal. Best known for her women’s singles title wins at the India International Series and the Polish International in 2016, she also won a silver at the 2018 Belgian International. In 2018, she won her 2nd Polish International title.

Arjuna Award-winning Indian badminton player Kanwal Thakar Singh was 11 when she began playing the sport. With their bronze win at the 1978 Commonwealth Games, she and Ami Ghia became the first female Indian players to win a Commonwealth medal. She is also the sister of Bollywood actor Kirron Kher.

Arjuna Award-winning Indian para-badminton player Parul Parmar has been a women's singles SL3 world number 1. The daughter of a state-level badminton player, she was diagnosed with polio at age 3. A 6-time World Championship gold medalist, she is also a 2-time Asian Para Games champion.

Indian badminton player Arundhati Pantawane is a National Games gold medal winner and is coached by badminton legend Pullela Gopichand. She has been part of the 2010 Asian Games and won the Bahrain International title in 2012. She is married to fellow badminton player Arun Vishnu.

Indian badminton player Ashmita Chaliha was just 7 when she began playing badminton. Coached by the likes of Suranjan Bhobora and Pullela Gopichand, she later emerged as a 2-time gold medalist at the 2019 South Asian Games. She also won the Dubai International tournament in 2018.

Apart from being part of the gold-winning Indian women’s teams at the 2004, 2006, and 2010 South Asian Games, Indian badminton player Aparna Balan has also won a doubles gold at the Games. She is also a 6-time National Champion in mixed doubles and a 3-time champion in women’s doubles.

Indian badminton player P. C. Thulasi was part of the Indian women’s teams that won the South Asian Games in 2010 and 2016. She has also won 2 bronze medals at the Uber Cup and one at the Asian Games. A former national champion, she also won a gold at the 34th National Games.

Dhyan Chand Award-winning retired Indian badminton player Trupti Murgunde is known for her success in both singles and doubles. A 5-time South Asian Games gold winner, she is now a national selector. She has also been a national coach and a commentator and now works with Indian Oil Corporation.

Indian badminton player K. Maneesha is best known for her success in women’s doubles and mixed doubles. She has partnered with fellow badminton players such as P. V. Sindhu, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and Sanyogita Ghorpade. A South Asian Games gold medalist, she has also won an Uber Cup bronze.

Indian badminton player Shruti Kurien is best known for her multiple national women’s doubles championship wins with Jwala Gutta. She is also a 6-time South Asian Games gold winner and also has a Commonwealth bronze in her kitty. She was previously fellow national badminton champion Nikhil Kanetkar.

Indian badminton player Harika Veludurthi hails from the Tanuku town in Andhra Pradesh. She won both the mixed and women’s doubles at the 2018 Ghana International. She also emerged as the winner at the 2018 Nepal International mixed-doubles event. She is known for her partnerships with Vighnesh Devlekar and Karishma Wadkar.