Badminton is an exciting game, and after cricket and football, it’s one of the most popular sports in India. We have been doing well at the Olympics, and that has proved to be an important catalyst in boosting the popularity of the sport at the grass-root level.
In terms of fitness and workout, Badminton is an excellent sport involving a lot of running and demands some muscle power to hit those mean smash shots. A good 30 minutes of gameplay is good enough to burn 250 to 400 calories.
For those looking out at novel means to workout and improve their Badminton skills, this is the right time to pick up a good racquet and sweat it out. Look out for our Best picks to help you find the perfect racquet that suits your gameplay.
Our Top Picks for "Best Badminton rackets in India"
Best for Beginners -Yonex ZR 100 Light Aluminium Badminton Racquet
Best Overall – Yonex Muscle Power 29 Badminton Racquet
Best for Intermediate, Experts – Li-Ning G-Force Superlite 3600
Best Lightweight – Yonex Nanoray Light 9i Graphite Badminton Racquet
Best Combo Set for Kids – Feroc Badminton Racket Set
What to expect from this Read?
Let us help you choose the best Badminton racquet that is suitable and ideal for your playing style, do have a look at this list before you make your buying decision.
Those who play Badminton well, take decisions quickly
We reviewed 38 Badminton rackets of different weight, material, head shape, head balance, string tension, shaft flexibility, grips, brands for this exercise of finding the “Badminton rackets in India.”
We narrowed down the list to the best 12 based on repetitive features and quality before finally coming up with the final list of the 5 best Badminton rackets that met our stringent requirements.
PS – Of the 12 shortlisted, we found that many had similar features to the one’s in our top 5, so we eliminated them to the best below.
We encourage you to glance through our Buying Guide to pick up the best badminton racket that matches your playing style. The buying guide is also the basis of how we chose the below list.
Best Badminton Rackets: Reviews
Best for Beginners
The Yonex ZR 100 is developed in Japan and made in India. When it comes to Badminton, Yonex is one of the leading and trusted brands out there since ages.
The racket frame is aluminium, and the shaft is made from steel. The racket weighs U = 95 to 99.9 gms. The Grip size is G4 size (3.5”) and has the popular isometric shaped head and a T-joint.
This is a good starting racket for beginners; the racket is even balanced, the sweet spot is medium, and most beginners should be able to find it easily in the regular gameplay.
In terms of smashes and shots placement especially drop shots, the results were reasonably satisfactory.
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Ideal for beginners Even Balanced Aluminium frame Steel Shaft Bat weight – U Grip Size G4 Head Shape – Isometric Sweet Spot – Medium Comes with a full-sized racket cover
What needs to be improved
The racket cover is average.
Best Overall
When one discusses the best rackets in Badminton there is just no way we could not brag about the popular Yonex muscle power series. We loved the Yonex muscle power 29 in particular.
The racket is even balanced, the frame and the shaft are made from graphite which is known for its lightweight quality. The racket weighs 3U = 85 to 89 gms. The Grip size is G4 size (3.5”) and has the popular isometric shaped head and a T-joint.
The strings are strung at 30 lbs tension, and the racket has a hi-flex shaft, the USP of the muscle power series is the frame construction that is designed for power hitting.
The sweet spot area is medium and intermediate to expert players would easily find the sweet spot in normal gameplay.
The racket boasts of the new grommet pattern and an ultra-thin aerodynamic shaft. We loved this racket because it seemed to respond well when it came to hitting those powerful smashes with accurate placement.
Even the weak back-hand shots seemed to get some additional help from the racket.
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✅ Graphite frame
✅ Graphite Shaft
✅ Bat weight – 3U
✅ Grip Size G4
✅ Head Shape – Isometric
✅ Sweet Spot – Medium
✅ Comes with a full-sized racket cover
✅ Ideal for power hitting
Best for Intermediate, Experts
Our pick from the Li-Ning G- Force series. The USP of this racket is that its superlight and weighs 5U (78 gms). The racket is made from military-grade carbon fiber (Graphite) and has an aerodynamic power frame.
This is a strung racket with string tension around 30 to 32 Lbs, ideal for power hitting. The racket strings are made from Aramid fiber. Aramid fiber is known for its high modulus, toughness and elastic properties.
Intermediate to expert level players will find the sweet spot on the racket frequently with ease. The Aerotec Beam System (ATBS) frame is an aerodynamic design that is engineered to minimize drag while maintaining the rigidity of the frame.
The balance of the racket is Head heavy. The racket is ideal for power hitting, and players with aggressive gameplay will love to hit those powerful smashes with this racket.
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✅ Ultra-lightweight
✅ Carbon Graphite frame
✅ Carbon Graphite Shaft
✅ Bat weight – 5U
✅ ATBS Frame
✅ Balance – Head Heavy
✅ Head Shape – Isometric
✅ Ideal for Power hitting and Aggressive play
Best Lightweight
At 77 gms this is an ultra-light racket from Yonex. In the field of Badminton, Yonex is one of the leading and trusted brands.
This is a strung racket with string tension around 30 Lbs, ideal for placement and timing. Intermediate to expert level players will find the sweet spot on the racket frequently. The shape of the head is isometric and has a T-joint with G4 grip.
The balance of the racket is Head Light. The racket is ideal for defense, and players who rely on timing and prefer versatile manoeuvrability will instantly fall in love with this racket.
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✅ Carbon Graphite frame
✅ Carbon Graphite Shaft
✅ Bat weight – 5U
✅ Grip Size G4
✅ Balance – Head Light
✅ Ultra-lightweight
✅ Head Shape – Isometric
✅ Ideal for good manoeuvrability
Best Combo Set for Kids
For kids and even beginners wanting to start their Badminton journey, this is the perfect choice.
The Badminton racket set consists of; 2 rackets, 3 nylon shuttles, and a full-sized cover available at a budget price.
The shaft is made from steel. The rackets are lightweight, durable and have excellent grip.
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✅ Combo Set
✅ Budget price
✅ 2 Rackets + 3 Nylon Shuttles
✅ Full-Sized Cover
✅ Steel Shaft
✅ Lightweight Racket
✅ Suitable for Kids and beginners.
Buying Guide to choose the Best Badminton Racket
How to choose a Badminton Racket, and what are the crucial factors one should keep in mind?
The Key parts of the racket that we will discuss.
Know your level of play
If you are a beginner, it’s ideal to go for steel or aluminium rackets and learn the game’s nuances. Once you are comfortable with your style of play, choose rackets that are more suitable for your playing style, aggressive or defensive.
Length of the racket
The length of the rackets are 675 mm (Standard). The standard rackets are recommended for players aged six years and above. For toddlers, a junior racket is ideal.
Weight of the racket
The weight is measured in terms of the Unstrung weight. The Unstrung weight of the racket is the weight of the frame without being strung.
Unstrung Weight
U: 95- 99 gm
2U: 90-94 gm
3U: 85-89 gm
4U: 80-84 gm
5U: 75-79 gm
Most professionals and intermediate players prefer lightweight rackets for their versatility, maneuverability, swing speed, and less stress on the fore-arms.
The heavier rackets help build momentum and hit those powerful shots. When one starts training, it’s recommended to begin with U or 2U racket to build the forearms and strengthen the forearms.
Balance of the racket
This is an interesting term, and it is how two rackets having the same weight could still be different and have different weight balance.
A racket with a balance point of 285 to 290 mm is considered a balanced racket. The distance is measured from the bottom of the racket handle (As illustrated in the pic above).
If the balance point is less than 285 mm, the racket is Head Light, and if the balance point is greater than 290 mm, it’s considered head heavy.
What impact do Different balance points have on a player’s game?
Head balanced rackets: Ideal for beginners who should try a balanced racket to begin with. Once they know their play style, they can go for a head heavy or head light balanced racket.
Head Heavy racket: is ideal for power hitting as its capable of generating more momentum; the downside is that it has less maneuverability and causes more stress on the forearms. Players with an aggressive style of play usually prefer head heavy rackets for hitting those powerful smashes.
Head Light rackets: precisely the opposite of head heavy rackets. The maneuverability is excellent, but the power is lesser. Players who like to play defensive, who rely on timing and prefer to control their shots choose Head light rackets.
A pro-tip for the budget conscious and for players who want to experiment before investing in another racket is to
Use Lead tapes to the racket head to make a head heavy racket or
Use extra grip to make a head light racket.
The grip of the racket
The popular grip commonly chosen is G4 size; for adults with smaller palms, G5 is suitable. Children should opt for either G5 or G6 handles, which have thin Grips.
Below are the various grips’ sizes – the grip sizes are indicated on the cone of the racket handle.
G1: 4in
G2: 3.75in
G3: 3.5in
G4: 3in
G5: 3in
G6: 2.75in
The material of the Racket
Badminton rackets in India are available in wooden, steel, aluminium, and Graphite material. We don’t recommend wooden rackets. Steel rackets are the heaviest; Aluminium rackets are lighter than steel but heavier than graphite. Graphite rackets are the lightest.
From a price perspective, the Graphite rackets are the most expensive, followed by aluminium and steel.
Shaft Flexibility or Shaft Flex
The Shaft of the racket (see pic above) ranges from Flexible, medium Flexible, stiff, or extra stiff.
Flexible Shaft: For beginners with slow arm action, a flexible shaft is ideal as it generates more power and speed. The downside is that the player has less control on shuttle placement, slow return of shots.
Stiff Shaft: Most intermediate to professional level players prefer stiff Shaft as it’s ideal for quick returns and better shuttle placement. The downside is that the players will have to use their arm strength to generate a faster swing.
Medium Shaft: rackets fall in between the two above and are ideal for amateurs to intermediate gameplay levels.
Head Shape
Rackets have an oval or isometric shape. Most modern-day rackets are isometric shaped, but we did find a few oval shape rackets also available and thought its worthwhile for a user to know the difference.
The size of the sweet spot is the distinguishing factor between oval and isometric shaped rackets.
The sweet spot, which is usually the area in the centre or towards the centre of the string bed, is critical for generating the maximum power.
Isometric shaped rackets have a greater sweet spot area when compared to their oval head counterparts.
String Tension
As mentioned above, every racket has a sweet spot. The lower the string tension, the larger is the sweet spot area, and consequently, the higher the tension, the lesser is the area of the sweet spot.
Beginners who don’t always find the sweet spot on the racket should go for a racket with lower tension to avoid mishits. Pro and intermediate players opt for higher strung rackets as they are more adept at finding the sweet spot on the racket.
Here is a starting guide for String tension:
Beginner : 17lbs-20lbs
Intermediate: 20lbs-24lbs
Advanced: 24lbs-27lbs
Professional 27 lbs and above
Best Badminton Rackets, Price and Price Comparison
“Here you will find prices of all the products mentioned in this feature”
