BWF ranking : 5 Indian male shuttlers enter top 20 singles list

Mumbai: Despite a disappointing campaign at the recently concluded Japan Open Super Series , as many as five Indian shuttlers have entered inside top 20 of BWF singles ranking. Current World No.19 Sameer Verma has joined Kidambi Srikanth , HS Prannoy , B Sai Praneeth , and Ajay Jayaram  in the top 20 of the men's rankings.

While  Srikanth has managed to maintain his position as World No 8, Prannoy jumped four spots to reach 15th position in the BWF rankings. Sai Praneeth and Jayaram also maintained their positions at 17th and 20th respectively, while Verma became the fifth Indian to join them on the list by moving two places from 21st to 19th.

Indian badminton is longer about PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal , who are expected to reach the semi-final or the final of major events whenever they have stepped onto the court. The male shuttlers have slowly been making their mark on the international badminton circle.

The rise of Kidambi Srikanth, one of Gopichand proteges, have been phenomenal. The Guntur- born shuttler had, earlier this year, landed two back-to-back Super Series titles and looks very much a strong contender for a berth in IBF World Series Finals in Dubai later this year.

The other male shuttlers Parupalli Kashyap, HS Prannoy and Ajay Jayaram have added more steel to the Indian men’s contingent. There was a time when Chinese male shuttlers dominated the badminton world, but Indian players have stepped up and improved by leaps and bounds to become a force to reckon with.