3 Indians, including B Sai Praneeth, make it to top 15 in BWF ranking for 1st time

Mumbai: These are heady days for Indian shuttlers. For the first time in the history of the sport three men’s singles players from the country – Ajay Jayaram, B Sai Praneeth and Kidambi Srikanth – have entered the top 15 spots of the BWF rankings.

While Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu have been dominant in the women’s singles circuit, the country has been slightly less successful in the men’s singles events.

However, the Indian contingent has strengthened itself with better performances in the last few months, with the trio of Jayaram, Praneeth and Srikanth entering the top 15.

Jayram, who had finished runners-up in last year’s Dutch Open Grand Prix, maintains his ranking of 13th on the charts.

Meanwhile, Kidambi Srikanth climbed up one spot to the 14th place; the 24-year-old, who was the world no. 4 not too long ago, had dropped to the 30th spot after a long injury layoff. His performance in the Singapore Open Super Series, where he lost the title clash to Praneeth, propelled him up by one spot.

However, the biggest gainer this time was B Sai Praneeth, who clinched the Singapore Open Super Series and the Thailand Open Grand Prix. His performances helped him jump nine places as he now sits on the 15th spot.

There has been no change as such on the women’s singles ranking, with Sindhu and Saina staying put at 3rd and 11th, respectively.