New Delhi: India will send a strong and diverse contingent to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026, with young cricket sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, shooting star Manu Bhaker, badminton ace PV Sindhu, boxer Lovlina Borgohain, wrestler Aman Sehrawat and weightlifter Mirabai Chanu among the prominent names expected to lead the country’s medal challenge.
The 20th Asian Games will be held in Japan from September 19 to October 4, 2026, with athletes from 45 countries and regions competing across 43 sports. India will enter the continental showpiece looking to improve on its record performance at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games, where it won 107 medals — 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze.
India’s preparations have, however, suffered some setbacks, including the withdrawal of Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who will miss the Games because of an ankle injury.
Five individual Olympic medallists in Indian contingent
Despite Chopra’s absence, India’s squad features five individual Olympic medallists who will be among the country’s leading medal hopes.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will compete in badminton, while Paris 2024 double medallist Manu Bhaker will spearhead India’s shooting challenge.
Boxer Lovlina Borgohain, who won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, is also part of the squad. Wrestling will feature Paris 2024 bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat, while Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Mirabai Chanu will compete in weightlifting.
Their experience at the Olympic level is expected to be particularly valuable as India targets another strong medal haul in Japan.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi adds youth to cricket team
One of the biggest talking points in India’s Asian Games contingent is the inclusion of teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
The young cricketer has been included in India’s men’s T20 squad for the Games, which will be led by Shreyas Iyer. The squad also includes Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh.
India will defend the men’s T20 Asian Games title, while the women’s team will also attempt to retain its crown under captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
The women’s squad includes Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Renuka Thakur and Shreyanka Patil among others. Pratika Rawal has come into the squad after Jemimah Rodrigues was ruled out with a hamstring injury sustained during her stint in The Hundred.
Manu Bhaker leads strong shooting contingent
Shooting is expected to be one of India’s key medal-producing sports in Aichi-Nagoya.
Manu Bhaker will compete in the women’s 10m air pistol and 25m pistol, while Esha Singh will participate in both events as well. Rahi Sarnobat will compete in the women’s 25m pistol.
The men’s squad includes Rudrankksh Patil, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Anish Bhanwala, Anant Jeet Singh Naruka and Mairaj Ahmad Khan.
India’s women’s shooting contingent also features Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar, Ashi Chouksey, Tilottama Sen, Neeru Dhanda and Maheshwari Chauhan.
Bhaker’s presence will attract considerable attention after her outstanding performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she became the first Indian athlete to win two medals at a single edition of the Games.
PV Sindhu returns for another Asian Games campaign
Badminton will once again be an important part of India’s medal strategy.
Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy headline the men’s side, with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty leading the men’s doubles challenge.
PV Sindhu will compete in women’s singles and the women’s team event. She will be joined by Unnati Hooda, Devika Sihag, Tanvi Sharma and Isharani Baruah, while Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand are among the doubles players.
Sindhu already has two Olympic medals and will be aiming to add another Asian Games medal to her collection.
Athletics contingent packed with experienced names
Athletics has a sizeable Indian representation, with established names and emerging competitors across track and field events.
Avinash Sable will compete in the men’s 3000m steeplechase, while Tajinderpal Singh Toor will contest the men’s shot put. Murali Sreeshankar is listed for the men’s long jump, and Tejaswin Shankar will compete in the decathlon.
Other prominent names include Gulveer Singh, Parul Chaudhary, Jyothi Yarraji, Annu Rani, Priyanka Goswami and Shaili Singh.
India will be looking to its athletics contingent to contribute medals across distance running, jumps, throws, hurdles and relay events.
Hockey teams face important Olympic qualification opportunity
The men’s and women’s hockey teams will carry additional responsibility in Japan.
The Asian Games hockey tournaments will also serve as qualification events for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The winners of the men’s and women’s competitions will secure direct qualification for the Olympics.
The men’s team will be led by Harmanpreet Singh, while Salima Tete will captain the women’s side.
The men’s squad includes experienced players such as Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Dilpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh. The women’s squad features Savita Punia, Nikki Pradhan, Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami and Deepika Soreng.
Wrestling and weightlifting bring Olympic pedigree
India’s wrestling squad features several established competitors, including Aman Sehrawat, Deepak Punia, Antim Panghal, Nisha Dahiya and Priya Malik.
Aman will compete in the men’s freestyle 57kg category, while Deepak Punia is listed in the 97kg division. The women’s squad includes Antim Panghal at 53kg and Nisha Dahiya at 68kg.
In weightlifting, Mirabai Chanu will compete in the women’s 49kg category. She will be joined by Gyaneshwari Yadav, Seram Nirupama Devi and Harjinder Kaur, while Rishikanta Singh Chanambam will represent India in the men’s 60kg category.
India has representation across a wide range of sports
India’s contingent extends well beyond the traditionally strong disciplines.
Archery features names such as Dhiraj Bommadevara, Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Ankita Bhakat. In boxing, Lovlina Borgohain will be among the most experienced members of the team.
India will also compete in canoeing, cycling, equestrian events, esports, fencing, golf, judo, kabaddi, karate, kurash, mixed martial arts, rowing, rugby sevens, sailing, sepak takraw, sport climbing, squash, surfing, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, soft tennis, teqball, volleyball and wushu.
The breadth of the contingent underlines the growing depth of Indian sport beyond a handful of traditional medal-winning disciplines.
Anahat Singh returns in squash
Squash will also be watched closely, particularly with Anahat Singh returning to the Asian Games.
At Hangzhou 2023, Anahat was part of India’s women’s team that won bronze and also secured a mixed doubles bronze with Abhay Singh. She will compete in women’s singles and the women’s team event in Aichi-Nagoya.
The squash squad also includes Abhay Singh, Veer Chotrani, Velavan Senthilkumar, Joshana Chinappa and Tanvi Khanna.
India faces some setbacks before the Games
The final contingent has undergone several changes before the Games.
Wrestlers Mukul Dahiya and Deepanshu were removed following doping violations. Shooter Gaurav Kumar Masoori was also dropped for a doping offence and replaced by Akash Bharadwaj.
India’s show jumping squad was excluded after failing to meet the Sports Ministry’s selection criteria. In tennis, women’s singles players Sahaja Yamalapalli, Vaishnavi Adkar and Vaidehee Chaudhari were left out after the government pruned the contingent.
Neeraj Chopra’s withdrawal because of an ankle injury is another major setback for India’s medal hopes.
India aims to better 107-medal haul
India’s performance at Hangzhou 2023 marked a historic milestone, with the country crossing the 100-medal mark for the first time at the Asian Games.
The Aichi-Nagoya edition presents an opportunity to build on that achievement. With Olympic medallists, defending champions, experienced international competitors and promising youngsters such as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, India enters the Games with a broad medal challenge.
Cricket will attract considerable attention because of the inclusion of Sooryavanshi, while Manu Bhaker, PV Sindhu, Lovlina Borgohain, Aman Sehrawat and Mirabai Chanu provide Olympic pedigree across individual sports.
With the Games scheduled from September 19 to October 4, India’s athletes now face the final stage of preparation before competition begins in Japan. The target will be clear: turn a record-sized medal performance at Hangzhou into an even stronger showing at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.