With seven Superseries titles in 2017, Indian shuttlers record highest-ever tally for a season

Indian badminton’s renaissance can be corroborated by the fact that the shuttlers from the country recorded the highest-ever tally of Superseries titles in a season this year. The 2017 season witnessed Indians winning as many as seven Superseries titles on the circuit.

The irrepressible Srikanth Kidambi made the biggest contribution to it, having triumphed in a staggering four tournaments at this level. His wins at the Indonesia Open, the Australian Open, the Denmark Open and the French Open made him the only Indian to grab four titles in a single season in the 11-year history of Superseries tournaments.

PV Sindhu added to India’s glory at this level thanks to her success at the India Open and the Korea Open. B Sai Praneeth’s maiden Superseries title win in Singapore only made it an even brighter year for the sport in India.

Besides, Indians also finished as runners-up in three other tournaments. Srikanth had to swallow a bitter pill in Singapore but he turned it around in magnificent fashion for an unprecedented rampage. Sindhu too had to finish on the losing side at the Hong Kong Open and the biggest of them all -- the World Superseries Finals in Dubai.

India more than doubled its previous best record

Prior to this year, India’s best record in the Superseries circuit was a three-title haul, which happened in 2010 and 2014. With Saina Nehwal being at the peak of her powers in 2010, she was the only Indian who had Superseries success that year. Nehwal won all the three finals she reached in Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong, throwing down the gauntlet to the formidable Chinese.

In 2014, there was a new entrant on the scene as Srikanth Kidambi joined Nehwal in what turned out to be a historic campaign for India at the China Open, with both registering wins. Saina also etched her name on the Australian Open trophy that year.

Other than these, India won two titles in 2012, 2015 and 2016, with Sindhu joining the league in the latter with her China Open win.

After the implementation of the Superseries level in 2007, India had her first ever title in 2009 through Nehwal, who won at the Indonesia Open. It also remains as India’s only single-title year with 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2013 remaining completely barren.

With the BWF set to put a new structure of tournaments in place in 2018, this is the last we have seen of the Superseries circuit. India thus bids farewell to this system with 20 titles, 10 of which have been delivered by Nehwal, six by Srikanth, three by Sindhu and one by Sai Praneeth.