Badminton is extensively played throughout India, although it lacks the recognition of games such as cricket. Indeed, the modern version of the game has its origins in Pune, when British army officers introduced the net and devised the first rules of the game. Tournaments at various levels including the state, regional and national level are held in India and a few Indian practitioners of the sport have attained international acclaim. Badminton is popular in the Indian states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Mumbai.

History of Badminton in India
Records suggest that the modern version of the game was perhaps invented first in Pune, in the state of Maharashtra. British Army officers stationed in Pune, India, introduced the net, and devised the rules of play; the officers introduced the new sport in Britain during the early 1870s, where it came to be named Badminton, after the Badminton House in Gloucestershire.

Once British Army officers mastered the game of Badminton in India, they introduced it to Britain. The game was definitively launched in the year 1873, when the Duke of Beaufort hosted it at a lawn party in his residence, Badminton House, whence the game derived its modern name.

In India, the sport of badminton began as a recreational activity in certain elite clubs. It acquired an organizational structure in India around the 1920s, and in a decade`s time tournaments were held at both the national and regional level.

The game is now ubiquitous in India, and the country has produced several world renowned players like Prakash Padukone and Chetan Anand, to name a few.

Indian Badminton Players
India has a strong badminton scene at the domestic level, which teems with young talents. These youngsters draw inspiration from legendary Indian badminton players like Prakash Padukone, Aparna Popat and Pullela Gopichand. Apart from these legends, India has also produced many top ranking players such as Saina Nehwal, Chetan Anand, Abhin Syam Gupta, Nikhil Kanetkar and Sachin Ratti.

Badminton in India is becoming popular thanks to the efforts of these luminaries. In contemporary India, the women`s singles player Saina Nehwal was ranked first in the world in 2015. Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand won the All England Open in 1980 and 2001 respectively. Saina Nehwal is also the first Indian badminton player to have won an Olympic medal when she won the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, P.V. Sindhu became the first Indian woman to win a silver medal. She is the student of Pullela Gopichand at Pullela Gopichand Academy.