BAI Working On Proposal To Increase Salary Of Indian Badminton Coaches To Stop Exodus

The number of homegrown coaches might have been on the rise but their exit rate eyeing better-paying opportunities too is quite high, and the Badminton Association of India (BAI) is now preparing a roadmap in association with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to stop the exodus. The crux of that joint proposal is a hike in remuneration for the coaches. Over the past three years, top names such as Parupalli Kashyap and RMV Gurusaidutt have transitioned into full-time coaching, training the cream of men's singles players such as HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth, and Priyanshu Rajawat.

Under the guidance of chief national coach Pullela Gopichand, they are also working with young talents like Tharun Mannepalli, Anmol Kharb, Anuradha Upadhyaya, and Rakshitha Ramraj.

The former men's doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy, who represented India at Asian Games and Olympics, have shifted focus to coaching young doubles players.

The duo was seen along with foreign coach Tan Kim Her during the doubles matches at the India Open.

But on the flip side, many renowned coaches have exited the Indian setup after years of hard work because of lack of financial rewards. Mohammed Siyadatullah Siddiqui, who mentored stars like Saina Nehwal and Srikanth, moved to the Oregon Badminton Academy in the U.S. last year.

B Sai Praneeth, a World Championships bronze medalist and Tokyo Olympian, retired from international badminton to take up a coaching role at a U.S. club in March 2024.

Arun Vishnu, who developed stars like Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly, is the latest to leave as he returned to Nagpur to take care of his aging father-in-law.

"I think we need to improve the pay for Indian coaches, or they won't stick around for long," Arun