Although badminton has been left out of the Commonwealth Games 2026 program in Glasgow, the sport has a rich history at the Games, and India has been one of its most successful nations. With badminton off this year’s schedule, it’s a good time to look back at the players who built that legacy.
India’s Overall Record
Across every Commonwealth Games edition in which badminton has featured, India has won 31 medals in the sport, including 10 gold, 8 silver, and 13 bronze. That record places badminton among India’s most consistently successful Commonwealth Games disciplines.
Birmingham 2022: India’s Most Recent Campaign
India’s last Commonwealth Games badminton campaign, at Birmingham 2022, was one of its best. The contingent won six medals in total, including three golds. PV Sindhu won the women’s singles title, Lakshya Sen claimed the men’s singles gold, and the doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won gold in men’s doubles, becoming the first Indian men’s doubles pair to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the process, having taken silver in the same event four years earlier at Gold Coast 2018.
A Legacy Built Over Decades
India’s badminton success at the Commonwealth Games traces back to Prakash Padukone, who delivered the country’s first gold medal in the sport. Since then, players like Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, and the Satwik-Chirag pairing have kept the medal tally growing, while pioneers like Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa helped establish India as a serious force in doubles competition.
Why Look Back Now
With badminton absent from Glasgow 2026, this history serves as a reminder of just how much the sport has meant to India’s overall Commonwealth Games story, and why many fans hope to see it return at future editions.
What Comes Next
For now, India’s badminton stars are channelling their competitive energy into the BWF World Tour and the upcoming World Championships in New Delhi in August. Whether or not badminton returns to future Commonwealth Games, India’s medal-winning history in the sport remains one of its proudest multi-sport achievements.
Related Reading
– India’s Greatest Commonwealth Games Badminton Players
– Every Badminton Medal India Has Won at the Commonwealth Games
– Indian Badminton Players’ 2026 Tournament Schedule and Key Events