'...Didn't Even Felicitate Me….’: Chirag Shetty slams Maharashtra govt for felicitating cricketers, ignoring his Thomas Cup feat

The Indian shuttler added that the Government should treat any other sport equally after the Indian cricket team were honoured with cash reward of Rs 11 crore for winning the T20 World Cup.

Chirag Shetty, who forms the ace men's doubles combination with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, lashed out at the Maharashtra government for discriminatory treatment of Indian shuttlers.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday announced a cash reward of Rs 11 crore for the Indian cricket team which won the T20 World Cup. The announcement was made in the central hall of the Vidhan Bhavan (state legislature complex) here where four Mumbai players from the team — captain Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dubey — were felicitated.

Shetty won the Thomas Cup and World Championships bronze in 2022, and Asian Games men's doubles gold in 2023. He also won several BWF World Tour titles. Chirag and Satwik are the first Indian pair to become the World No. 1 and are currently ranked third on the BWF World Rankings.

The Indian shuttler added that the Government should treat any other sport equally after the Indian cricket team were honoured with cash reward of Rs 11 crore for winning the T20 World Cup.

Chirag Shetty expressed his disappointment over the lack of recognition for his achievements, particularly after he and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy played crucial roles in India's historic Thomas Cup win in 2022.

"Thomas Cup is equivalent to winning the World Cup. I was part of the Indian badminton team, which won its maiden title, shocking champions Indonesia in the final. I was the only Maharashtra player in the Indian team.

"When the govt can honor World Cup-winning cricket stars, they should have also recognized my efforts. Government should treat any other sport equally," Chirag Shetty told TOI.