Indian shuttlers fall out of top 10 in rankings

New Delhi

Indian badminton stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and Lakshya Sen have faced significant ranking setbacks, dropping out of the top 10 in their respective categories in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings released on Tuesday.

Former world No. 1 men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, have slipped five places to 12th. This is their first time outside the top 10 since November 2021, reflecting a challenging period after their disappointing performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The duo has made changes to their training setup, including parting ways with their longtime coach, Mathias Boe, and now working with Tan Kim Her, who helped form their partnership.

In men’s singles, Lakshya Sen has also seen a drop, falling five spots to 15th. Sen’s struggles in 2025, including early exits from the Malaysia and India Opens, have contributed to his fall in the rankings. His best result this year has been a Round of 16 finish at the Indonesia Masters Super 500.

Meanwhile, in women’s singles, PV Sindhu has slipped to 16th place, down from 15th, but remains the only Indian in the top 20.

Despite these setbacks, there are bright spots. The women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand hold firm in the top 10 at 9th, while in mixed doubles, Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila achieved a career-high ranking of 19th. Additionally, young talent Ayush Shetty has reached a career-best 43rd in men’s singles after a strong performance at the Orleans Masters.