Indian badminton hits new high! Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu power historic 2026 season

Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu (Video grabs)

NEW DELHI: India's badminton contingent has enjoyed its most successful season on the BWF World Tour, with Lakshya Sen's historic Japan Masters triumph on Sunday taking the country's tally to a record nine titles and four runner-up finishes in Super 300 or higher-level tournaments outside India in 2026.The previous best was six titles and three runner-up finishes, achieved in 2023. The latest milestone underlines the growing depth and consistency of Indian badminton, with players across men's singles, women's singles and doubles making their mark on the international circuit.

Lakshya's triumph in Kumamoto was the latest highlight of a memorable campaign, with the Indian shuttler becoming the first from the country to win the Kumamoto Masters Japan title.

The eighth seed fought back from a game down to defeat Japan's Koki Watanabe 13-21, 21-18, 21-14 in a 64-minute final at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium.The victory also gave Lakshya back-to-back World Tour titles after his triumph at the Hylo Open in Germany earlier this month."It feels very good to win a title here. Last year, I reached the semifinals, so I am happy that I could better that result. This is my second title back-to-back and I would love to continue this form," Lakshya said after his victory.

Lakshya, Sindhu headline India's singles success

Lakshya and two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu have been at the forefront of India's impressive singles campaign in 2026, winning two titles apiece.Sindhu enjoyed a particularly productive season, winning the Japan Open, a Super 750 tournament in July, before adding the Hylo Open Super 500 crown in November. She also reached the final of the French Open, another Super 750 event, in October.Lakshya, meanwhile, won the Hylo Open and Japan Masters titles in consecutive tournaments.

His campaign also featured a runner-up finish at the prestigious All England Open, a Super 1000 tournament in March.His Hylo Open triumph came against Indonesia's Jonatan Christie, whom he defeated 21-17, 21-10 in the final to claim his seventh BWF World Tour title and second crown at the tournament.The two successive titles have also strengthened Lakshya's prospects of qualifying for the BWF World Tour Finals, scheduled to be held in China from December 9 to 13.India's other runner-up finish in singles came through Kidambi Srikanth, who reached the final of the US Open, a Super 300 tournament.

Satwik-Chirag, emerging shuttlers add to India's record haul

The men's doubles combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also played a significant role in India's record-breaking season.The pair captured two prestigious Super 750 titles, winning the Singapore Open in May and China Masters in September. They also finished runners-up at the Thailand Open in May.India's emerging women's singles players further strengthened the country's impressive tally. Devika Sihag won the Thailand Masters (Super 300) in January-February, Tanvi Sharma triumphed at the Taipei Open (Super 300) in July-August, while Ashmita Chaliha claimed the Korea Open (Super 300) title in August.Women's singles proved to be India's most successful discipline in terms of title wins, accounting for five of the country's nine crowns, including Sindhu's two victories.With nine titles and four runner-up finishes, Indian badminton has now set a new benchmark on the BWF World Tour, surpassing its previous best and making 2026 its most successful season by this measure.