Overcoming Trials: Indian Badminton's Transitional Season

Indian badminton faced a challenging year in 2025 with injuries and inconsistent performances. Highlights included Lakshya Sen's major win and a World Championships medal for Satwik and Chirag. The next generation made promising strides, while established players struggled with form and fitness, marking a year of transition and reassessment.

Indian badminton in 2025 was marked by a challenging landscape, peppered with injuries and shortcomings at the top levels. However, the season wasn't without its highlights, as Lakshya Sen's Australian Open Super 500 triumph and Satwik and Chirag's World Championships bronze medal offered glimmers of hope.

Sen's victory at the Australian Open was a pivotal moment, signifying a return to form post his fourth-place finish at the Paris Olympics. Meanwhile, Satwik and Chirag remained India's top doubles pair despite injuries, closing the year as the first Indian men's pair to enter the BWF World Tour Finals knockout rounds.

The latter half of the year saw promising performances by younger players like Ayush Shetty and Tanvi Sharma, pointing to a bright future. Conversely, seasoned players struggled, with Sindhu and Prannoy facing early exits and injuries. The year also sparked discussions on athlete welfare, sparked by coach Pullela Gopichand's comments on career security for sportspeople.

(With inputs from agencies.)