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The game of badminton is thought to have originally developed among expatriate officers in British India, where it became a popular form of recreation by the 1870s. In recent decades, the best players in the world have come from the Far East, but the sport’s motherland has a handful of rising stars poised to shift the power center…

KIDAMBI SRIKANTH

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Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth followed his Indonesia Open Superseries Premier title by winning the Australian Open Superseries with a 22-20, 21-16 victory over Olympic and World champion Chen Long of China.

At the Indonesia Open, Srikanth claimed his spot in the final after securing a hard-won victory over World No. 1 Son Wan Ho of South Korea, 21-15, 14-21, 24-22.

Fan card of Indian badminton star Kidambi Srikanth

In 2014, Srikanth won China Open Super Series Premier final over Lin Dan to become the first Indian to win a Superseries Premier men’s title.

HS PRANNOY

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Currently ranked No. 25 in the world, HS Prannoy made international headlines with a pair of stellar wins at this year’s Indonesia Open, before bowing out to Japan’s Kazumasa Sakai in his first ever Superseries semifinal match.

In the second round, the 24-year-old Indian shocked three-time Olympic and World silver medalist Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, 21-10, 21-18.

Prannoy followed his victory over Lee, with a thrilling upset win over Olympic gold medalist Chen Long of China, 21-18, 16-21, 21-19.

LAKSHYA SEN

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Earlier this year, 15-year-old Lakshya Sen became the first shuttler from Uttarakhand to attain the No. 1 ranking at the international level.

Sen surpassed Chia Hao Lee of the Chinese Taipei, to attain the top spot.