The Badminton Association of India (BAI) on Tuesday announced a cash award of five lakh rupees each to World number two Saina Nehwal and Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap for their impressive performances at the international stage.

Both Saina and Kashyap had won the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold in Lucknow in January and Saina also became the first Indian woman to reach the All England Open Super Series Premier finals earlier this month.
“It has been my policy to reward players who are performing exceptionally well on the international circuit with handsome financial gains as the players are making the country proud with their title triumphs," BAI president Akhilesh Das Gupta said.

"Both Saina and Kashyap had won the gold medal in the Syed Modi GP Gold event. Saina has even reached number two ranking in the world.”

 Indian badminton star, Saina Nehwal pulls out of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. The defending champions is yet to recover from the blisters she had sustained during the Australian Open Super Series winning campaign.

The former world number 2 said that, "I haven`t got enough time to train, don`t want to risk an injury again. Have to be fit for the rest of the season."

In the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, she won the women`s singles title defeating Mew Wong of Malaysia in three sets. Two years later, in the London Games, she won the bronze medal.

Having won a hosts of titles in the international circuit, Nehwal is a medal hopeful for the Indian contingent at the 20th Commonwealth Games, which starts next week. Recently she won her seventh Super Series title in Sydney, defeating Spaniard Carolina Marin in straight sets.

In her absence, India will hope for a steller performance from her understudy PV Sindu and the doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa. The Indian women's team of Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Jwala and Ashwini won the bronze medal in the recent Uber Cup, losing 2-3 to Japan in the semi-finals at Siri Fort Sports Complex.