The upcoming Yonex-Sunrise Inter State-Inter Zonal Championships and Senior National Championships is a much anticipated event in the Indian badminton circuit for this year. With top shuttlers HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth playing, the tournament can be expected to be a close fought competition between two of India’s biggest stars in badminton. Not only do these two players have an exciting rivalry among each other, they are also notorious for their comebacks despite having been presented with difficult circumstances. Wednesday onwards, all eyes will be glued on the championship as these two talented players complete against each other after five long years! It’s sure going to make some exciting viewing.
With the Senior National Badminton Championships set to make a grand return, it promises to be an exciting week of action-packed badminton. Managed by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) in association with Uttarakhand Badminton Association (UBA), participants are bound to experience an exhilarating tournament. While PV Saddhu and Saina Nehwal will not be among the competitors due to different reasons, there are still some top players in attendance such as former world championships bronze medallist B Sai Praneeth. The attention is also on the prize money, which has been increased from Rs 25 lakh per individual championship and Rs 5 lakh for the Inter State-Inter Zonal meet, to Rs 50 lakh and Rs 10 lakh respectively. All in all, this edition of the Senior National Badminton Championships is certain to bring about some scintillating matchups that viewers should look forward to witnessing.
The forthcoming team championship and individual event scheduled for the 22nd and 23rd of February, and the 24th of February respectively are sure to be an exciting showcase this year. Excelling players such as Prannoy and Srikanth who played a key role in India’s Thomas Cup win will compete against a strong field of defending champion Sourabh Verma and numerous kid stars such as Mithun Manjunath, Kiran George, Priyanshu Rajawat and more. Hopeful competitors for success include All England semi-finalist women’s doubles combo Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly, men’s doubles specialists Chirag Shetty, Dhruv Kapila, Krishna Prasad and Vishnuvardhan Goud. With 479 entries registered, it is guaranteed to be a thrilling contest where everyone’s skills will surely be tested.
Badminton is gaining immense popularity in India due to a number of exciting accomplishments, including the national team clinching the Thomas Cup and also claiming India’s first-ever Badminton Asia Mixed Team medal. To further increase engagement and recognition for the sport, The Badminton Association of India has acknowledged that the National Championship provides a great platform for emerging athletes to challenge renowned players and discover new talent. As an incentive, monetary rewards are given out with singles champions being granted Rs 3.25 lakh each and doubles champions receiving Rs 3.45 lakh each. Moreover, the champion team at the Inter State-Inter Zonal meet will be entitled to an astonishing Rs 5 lakh prize purse. Evidently, badminton League’s main motto is ‘Asian Powerhouse Unveiled’ which reflects their aim to develop a strong sporting infrastructure in India.
