Parupalli Kashyap is an Indian badminton player from Hyderabad, Telangana, known for his attacking style and resilience on court. He became the first Indian male singles player in 30 years to reach the quarter-finals of an Olympic Games, achieving the feat at the 2012 London Olympics. He is also a Commonwealth Games gold medallist in men's singles, won at Glasgow in 2014.
| Full name | Parupalli Kashyap |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 September 1986 |
| Birthplace | Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (present-day Telangana), India |
| Sport | Badminton |
| Event | Men's singles |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Coach | Pullela Gopichand |
| Training base | Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy, Hyderabad |
| Spouse | Saina Nehwal (married 2018) |
| Honours | Arjuna Award (2012) |
Kashyap was born into a Telugu family in Hyderabad. He took up badminton at a young age and trained under former All England champion Pullela Gopichand at the Gopichand Academy, which has produced several leading Indian shuttlers. Despite struggles with asthma during his early career, he developed into one of India's leading singles players in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Kashyap rose through the junior and senior national circuits, winning national-level titles and breaking into the senior international scene by the late 2000s. He represented India at multiple Thomas Cup campaigns and on the BWF Super Series and Grand Prix circuits.
At the Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi, Kashyap won a bronze medal in men's singles, contributing to India's strong performance in badminton on home soil.
Kashyap reached the men's singles quarter-finals at the London Olympics, becoming the first Indian male shuttler to do so in three decades. He was eliminated by China's Chen Long in the quarter-final stage.
At the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Kashyap won the gold medal in men's singles, defeating Singapore's Derek Wong in the final. This made him the first Indian male shuttler in 32 years to win Commonwealth Games gold in men's singles, after Syed Modi's win in 1982.
Kashyap won the Syed Modi International Grand Prix Gold in Lucknow in 2015. He also captured the Syed Modi International title earlier in his career and reached finals and semi-finals at multiple Grand Prix and Super Series events. He achieved a career-high BWF world ranking inside the top 10 in men's singles.
Following persistent injuries that limited his playing schedule in the late 2010s, Kashyap took on a coaching role, including working closely with his wife Saina Nehwal as a personal coach and mentor. He has also been associated with development of younger players at the Gopichand Academy.
Kashyap is known for an aggressive, attacking style built around a strong jump smash, court coverage, and patient rallying. Coaches and analysts have often credited his fitness work and tactical adjustments under Gopichand for his sustained presence among the top international players.
Kashyap married Olympic medallist and former world number one Saina Nehwal in December 2018. The couple, both products of the Gopichand Academy, are among the most prominent figures in Indian badminton.
Kashyap's London 2012 quarter-final and Glasgow 2014 gold are considered landmark results for Indian men's singles badminton, a discipline that historically lagged behind women's singles and doubles in international success. His career, alongside contemporaries like Saina Nehwal and the next generation of P. V. Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth and H. S. Prannoy, marked the rise of Indian badminton into a regular force on the world stage.