Kiran George, Malvika Bansod, Tanisha-Rutaparna emerge on top in Indian badminton team selection trials

Young shuttlers Kiran George and Malvika Bansod have emerged as singles champions in the selection trials for the Sudirman Cup, Thomas and Uber Cup.

The five-day selection trials were conducted by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy (PPBA) in Hyderabad from August 27 to September 1.

BAI held the trials to finalize the Indian squad for the upcoming prestigious tournaments. The national governing body of sport wanted the shuttlers to be judged on their current form during the trials before finalizing the squad.

21-year-old Kiran George of Kerala reigned supreme in men’s singles in which 20 players competed for the top honors. World No. 24 Lakshya Sen was placed 19th in the trials.

Maharashtra teenager Malvika Bansod emerged on top in women’s singles, where 14 players took part.

Thirteen pairs competed in men’s doubles in which Dhruv Kapila and MR Arjun finished on top.

Tanisha Crasto and Rutaparna Panda win women's doubles

Rutaparna Panda (L) and Tanisha Crasto excelled in the selection trials

Tanisha Crasto and Rutaparna Panda emerged champions in the women’s doubles section. Only 10 pairs had participated in the eves’ doubles. Reigning national women’s doubles champions and India No. 1 pair of Shikha Gautam and K Ashwini Bhat finished fourth in the trials.

World No. 28 Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy finished second in the trials, while new pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand were placed third.

While 80 players took part across the four categories, a robust format was used to judge the performances of the players in the absence of any tournaments. The new format also ensured both elite and domestic players were provided with adequate opportunities to prove their mettle.

Based on the rankings, selectors will soon meet to pick the final squad for the Sudirman Cup (10 members) and Thomas & Uber Cup (20 members).

19-year-old Malvika Bansod of Maharashtra finished on top in women's singles

Final rankings after selection trials

Men’s singles

1. Kiran George

2. Sameer Verma

3. Ajay Jayaram

4. C Rahul Yadav

5. Subhankar Dey

6. Priyanshu Rajawat

7. Sai Charan Koya

8. HS Prannoy

9. Karthikeya Gulshan Kumar

10. Mithun Manjunath

Women’s singles

1. Malvika Bansod

2. Aditi Bhatt

3. Tasnim Mir

4. Shruti Mundada

5. Samiya Imad Farooqui

6. Ira Sharma

7. Riya Mukherjee

8. Ashmita Chaliha

9. Purva Barve

10. Unnati Bisht

Men’s doubles

1. Dhruv Kapila-MR Arjun

2. Krishna Prasad G-Vishnu Vardhan Goud

3. Sumeeth Reddy-Shaikh Ghouse

4. Arun George-Sanyam Shukla

5. Navneeth Boka-P Sai Krishna Kumar

6. Ishaan Bhatnagar-Sai Pratheek

7. Edwin Joy-Shankar Prasad

8. Anjan B-Ranjan B

9. Utkarsh Arora-Sourabh Sharma

10. Vighnesh Devlekar-Deep Rambhiya.

Women’s doubles

1. Tanisha Crasto-Rutaparna Panda

2. Ashwini Ponnappa - N Sikki Reddy

3. Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand

4. Shikha Gautam-Ashwini Bhat

5. Sahithi Bandi-Shruthi

6. Ramya Tulasi-Shivani Singh.