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Done enough for elite players, now second innings started: Prakash Padukone on new venture focussing on grassroots training

Padukonewas in Pune on Wednesday to finalise the association between his new venture Prakash Padukone School of Badminton and Poona District Metropolitan Badminton Association’s (PDMBA) Avinash Wardekar Badminton Academy.

3 min readPuneDec 18, 2025 12:09 AM IST

Prakash Padukone

Following the announcement of his exit from the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy after 31 years, Indian badminton legend Prakash Padukone said he had done his part in training elite players over the last three decades and would now like to focus on grassroots training.

“It’s been a change for me. I think I have done enough for elite players. We started the academy 31 years ago in 1994. I think we were one of the first, we showed the way and so many academies have come. There are not enough (academies) for the students and enough for the elite players. It also got a little boring, doing the same thing again and again so I thought I should do something different and focus on the grassroots. I’ve completed my first innings and now the second innings has started,” said Padukone who was in Pune on Wednesday to finalise the association between his new venture Prakash Padukone School of Badminton and Poona District Metropolitan Badminton Association’s (PDMBA) Avinash Wardekar Badminton Academy.

PMC schools to have air badminton

An Air Badminton initiative, jointly implemented by the Poona Games Foundation and the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in civic schools, was also inaugurated by Padukone. Under this scheme, air badminton courts will be marked in 32 PMC schools by the Poona Games Foundation. Each school will be provided with four badminton rackets and shuttlecocks by Yonex. A coach from the Poona Games Foundation will visit each school for a week to provide training, followed by support for the next two to three months. This will be a pilot project, after which PDMBA and the Pune Municipal Corporation will work towards expanding it to more municipal schools.

“In China, 100 times more children must be playing badminton as compared to India. If we can increase the number of people introduced to the sport, let’s say one lakh, 1,000 out of them will go to the next level, and then some of them will go to the elite level. We have to introduce the sport to more children.” The collaboration between PDMBA and Padukone School will introduce a certified common curriculum along with new technical assessment methods for coaches.

Talking about badminton in India, Padukone said these days, funding is not an issue in badminton and enough money is available for players. “Players get whatever they want and they travel with a whole team. Overall, the standard of badminton in India has improved but we should not be satisfied. Players should have that hunger in them to win big tournaments. We need to focus on mind training for players to perform under pressure situations,” he said.

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

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