The Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have been nominated by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for the 'Most Improved Player of the Year' award for their outstanding performances in the season. The young couple of Satwik and Chirag recorded many memorable wins in 2019. Apart from winning the first Super 500 title as the Thailand Open, this Indian duo also made it to the finals of the French Open Super 750 tournament.
Other nominees in this category include Canadian women's singles player Michelle Lee, Korea's Kim So Yong and Kong Hee Yong's women's doubles pair and Pravin Jordan and Melati Deiwa Oktwianti's Indonesia mixed doubles pair. These prestigious awards are given to players and pairs in six categories including two Para Badminton categories.
Indian Para Badminton player Pramod Bhagat, who won 11 gold, three silver and four bronze medals this year, was named in the 'Best Male Para Badminton Player' category. Olympic silver medalist PV Sindhu did not get a nomination in the list of best female player as she could not win any tournament other than the World Championship this year. The awards to the best performers of the year will be given during the opening ceremony and of the second season of the BWF World Tour Finals to be held from December 11 to 15.
