National Sports Day special: Where India stands in the world of sports

Badminton

The Good

PV Sindhu’s meteoric rise in the world of badminton was rewarded with a bronze medal finish at the recently concluded World Championships.

The Indian Badminton League, a franchise-based tournament, has given a fantastic platform to the sport.

It remains to be seen whether this transforms the fortunes of badminton in India, but the signs are encouraging, with fans thronging the stadiums and cheering on their favourite superstars.

Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu break into women’s singles top 10, and Parupalli Kashyap leads the men’s charge at No. 14.

The Bad

In a case of alarmingly lax work by offficials, four Indian badminton players found that their names were not sent by the Badminton Federation of India (BFI) for their respective events at the Nanjing Asian Youth Games. The shuttlers were left in a state of limbo, with no communication regarding their next move.

IBL auction controversy ensured a shaky start for badminton’s latest initiative.

What’s happening right now in Indian badminton

IBL 2013 draws to a close, the Saina Nehwal-led Hyderabad team oust the Ashwini Ponappa-led Pune team 3-0 to reach the finals.

Ranking

Highest ranked player in Women’s Singles: Saina Nehwal (4)

Highest ranked player in Men’s Singles: Parupalli Kashyap (14)

Highest ranked players in Men’s doubles: Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar (38)

Highest ranked players in Women’s doubles: Ashwini Ponnappa and Pradnya Gadre (29)