Ahmedabad, September 15, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India will field an 18-member squad at the second edition of the Commonwealth Cue Sports Championships, which will be held in Ahmedabad from October 7 to 10.
The prestigious multi-discipline event will be hosted in India for the first time at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, bringing together cueists from around 46 Commonwealth nations across English Billiards, Snooker, 10-Ball Pool, Heyball and Blackball.
Organised by Apex Sports Promotion and hosted by the Billiards & Snooker Federation of India (BSFI), the Championships have been endorsed by the World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS) and Commonwealth Sport. The event will also serve as a centrepiece of the BSFI’s centenary celebrations.
India heads into the Championships with confidence after winning five medals at the inaugural edition in Mauritius in 2025. Vidya Pillai won gold in Women’s Heyball, while Shivam Arora secured silver in Men’s Heyball and Chitra Magimairaj claimed silver in Women’s 10-Ball Pool.
All three medallists have received direct entries for this year’s competition and will look to add to their medal haul on home soil.
Pillai, the reigning Commonwealth Women’s Heyball champion, secured the title in Mauritius after a dramatic shootout victory over South Africa’s Marina Jacobs. She will now defend her crown in front of a home crowd.
“Winning the first Commonwealth title was a very special moment for me, but defending it in India makes this edition even more meaningful. We know the competition will be strong, with players coming from across the Commonwealth, but having the home crowd behind us can give us that extra push,” Pillai said.
Arora, who pushed Uganda’s Ceaser Chandiga in the Men’s Heyball final in Mauritius before settling for silver, is also targeting a step up on the podium.
“The silver medal in Mauritius gave me a lot of confidence, but it also left me wanting more. Playing the Commonwealth Championships in India, and particularly in Ahmedabad, gives us a completely different feeling,” Arora said.
India’s women’s squad features several established international performers. Anupama Ramachandran, the reigning IBSF Women’s World Snooker champion, will lead the English Billiards challenge alongside Revanna Umadevi.
Keerthana Pandian, the 2026 Asian Women’s Snooker champion, will spearhead the Snooker campaign alongside Shruthi Lakshminarayanan and Ishika Shah.
Chitra Magimairaj, a two-time World Ladies English Billiards champion and Commonwealth Women’s 10-Ball Pool silver medallist, returns alongside Amee Kamani and 10-Ball Pool teammate Neena Praveen. Teenage player Natasha Chethan adds further strength to the women’s Blackball team.
The men’s squad includes experienced players Siddharth Parikh, Laxman Rawat and Sundeep Gulati, along with emerging talents Rayaan Razmi and Paras Gupta. Rawat enters the competition in strong form after his notable performance at the 2026 WPA Heyball World Championships in Pune and will also compete in Snooker alongside Aditya Mehta. Divya Sharma will represent India in Men’s 10-Ball Pool.
The Championships will feature 10 medal sets across men’s and women’s events. English Billiards will make its debut on the Commonwealth Cue Sports Championships programme this year.
Official Indian Squad
Men
- Billiards: Siddharth Parikh, Rayaan Razmi
- Snooker: Laxman Rawat, Aditya Mehta
- Heyball: Shivam Arora (Direct Entry), Paras Gupta
- 10-Ball Pool: Divya Sharma
- Blackball: Sundeep Gulati
Women
- Billiards: Anupama Ramachandran, Revanna Umadevi
- Snooker: Keerthana Pandian, Shruthi Lakshminarayanan, Ishika Shah
- Heyball: Vidya Pillai (Direct Entry), Amee Kamani
- 10-Ball Pool: Chitra Magimairaj (Direct Entry), Neena Praveen
- Blackball: Natasha Chethan
FOLLOW NOW
