India’s Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy reclaim No. 1 billing in world badminton rankings

Reigning Asian Games champions Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy climbed up one place to the world No. 1 spot in the latest badminton rankings for men’s doubles released by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Tuesday.

After winning three BWF World Tour titles last year, including the Indonesia Open (Super 1000), Korea Open (Super 500) and the Swiss Open (Super 300) in addition to the Asian Games gold medal, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have carried the form into 2024.

While the duo is yet to win a title this campaign, Chirag-Shetty made the finals in both their outings so far this campaign, at the Malaysia and India Opens. The India pair was also scheduled to play at the Indonesia Masters but pulled out.

Courtesy the two runners-up finishes, Satwik and Chirag leapfrogged the People’s Republic of China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, the 2023 world championships bronze medal winners, to the top of the men’s doubles rankings.

Interestingly, it was Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang who beat the Indian duo to the Malaysia Open final earlier this month.

This is not the first time that the Indian badminton players will be on pole position in the men’s doubles badminton rankings. The duo had attained top billing after the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou last October but was displaced after two weeks.

HS Prannoy also gained a place to No. 8 in the men’s singles badminton rankings and holds onto his position as India’s top-ranked singles badminton player. Lakshya Sen (19), Kidambi Srikanth (25) and Priyanshu Rajawat (30) are the other Indians in the top 30.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu is 11th in the women’s singles rankings.

Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa, at world No. 20, are the best-ranked Indians in women’s doubles followed by Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand at the 22nd spot. Rohan Kapoor and N Sikki Reddy, at No. 41, are India’s leading pair in mixed doubles.