Chirag Chandrashekhar Shetty, Indian Badminton Star

By AYC

Updated July 8, 2024 | 4 min read

1 Introduction
2 Early life and background
3 Career
4 Achievements

Introduction

Chirag Chandrashekhar Shetty is an Indian badminton player who was born on July 4, 1997. He and his partner Satwiksairaj Rankireddy became the first Indian doubles team to win a BWF World Tour 1000 series, rank #1 in the world in the BWF rankings, and win gold in badminton at the Asian Games.

Early life and background

Shetty was born into a Tulu family on July 4, 1997, in Malad, Mumbai. His mother is Sujata Shetty, while his father is hotelier Chandrashekhar Shetty. He received his first training at the Goregaon Sports Club’s Uday Pawar Badminton Academy before relocating to Hyderabad’s Gopichand Badminton Academy. Initially teamed with Arjun M. R., coach Tan Kim Her eventually placed Shetty with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, thinking their combined height, power, and abilities might make them a formidable combination.

Career

2018

In 2018, Chirag Chandrashekhar Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy secured India’s historic gold medal in the mixed team event at the Commonwealth Games. They also clinched silver in men’s doubles. Additionally, they won their first BWF World Tour title at the Hyderabad Open by defeating the Indonesian pair Akbar Bintang Cahyono and Muhammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani in the final.

2019

Chirag Chandrashekhar Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy defeated Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen of China in the Thailand Open final to become the first Indian doubles team to win a BWF Superseries or World Tour (Super 500+) championship. Additionally, they placed second at the 2019 French Open, losing in the championship match to the Indonesian duo of Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon.

2021

Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy lost to Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in the second round of the 2020 Yonex Thailand Open in 2021, thereby leaving the tournament early. They defeated eventual gold medalists Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin at the 2020 Summer Olympics, but they were eliminated after losing to Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon. They later withdrew from their maiden appearance at the BWF World Tour Finals following a defeat against Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the group stage.

2022

Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy were the best badminton players in 2022. They began by taking home the India Open title and were instrumental in India’s historic victory over Indonesia’s best pair in the Thomas Cup. Gold at the Commonwealth Games and India’s first-ever men’s doubles bronze at the BWF World Championships were two further examples of their accomplishment. They had a memorable year-ending victory in the French Open, when they won their maiden Super 750 title.

2023

With Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty accomplished a number of significant goals in 2023. After winning their maiden championship together in the Swiss Open, they went on to win the Badminton Asia Championship in Dubai, where they were crowned Asian Champions. They then created history in the Indonesia Open, defeating Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik to earn India’s first-ever BWF World Super 1000 title. After winning the Korea Open, the team kept up their winning ways by defeating Muhammad Rian Ardianto and Fajar Alfian, two Indonesian players.

2024

Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy made it to the Malaysia Open and India Open finals in 2024, however they were both narrowly defeated. But in the French Open Super 750, they won their first championship of the year after taking out a Chinese Taipei couple in straight sets. They lost to a Danish pair in the first round of the Singapore Open.