The ISSF World Cup Final (WCF) in Doha, scheduled from December 4–9, brings together the finest shooters of the year those who have not only reached world finals but have consistently demonstrated the ability to win at the highest level.
For India, the 2025 edition represents one of the strongest, most balanced, and most high-achieving squads ever assembled for a WCF. With 14 athletes qualifying through World Cup gold medals, World Championship podiums, or top-tier seasonal rankings, the Indian contingent reflects a maturing high-performance system whose depth now spans rifle, pistol, and shotgun.
This Doha squad is built on two key pillars: athletes who have already won major global medals in 2025, and a growing group that peaked precisely at the right time during the Cairo World Championships (WCH) in November. That synergy of experienced champions and recently-emerged contenders positions India for one of its best WCF campaigns.
A Highly Selective Event and India Arrives with Authority
The World Cup Final is an elite, invitation-only event. Only athletes who win a World Cup medal, a World Championship medal, or finish among the top two in the annual World Cup rankings secure entry. Nations are restricted to a maximum of three shooters per event. For an emerging power like India to qualify full quotas in several disciplines is itself indicative of depth and consistency.
Of the 14 Indians headed to Doha, most did not qualify by rankings alone but by winning medals. It reflects a shift in India’s shooting identity: from being a nation that routinely reached finals to one that increasingly converts them into podium finishes.
Pistol: India’s Strongest Weapon Heading into Doha
India’s greatest strength entering the WCF lies in pistol events, particularly 10m Air Pistol Men and 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men, both of which produced historic results in 2025.
10m Air Pistol Men: A Landmark Breakthrough Year
Samrat Rana and Varun Tomar arrive in Doha after scripting history at the World Championships. Rana, only 20, stunned the field to win the world title, delivering a clutch 10.6 on his final shot to edge out China’s Hu Kai. His total of 243.7 in the final and a qualification score of 586 underline world-class composure.
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Varun Tomar, who won bronze at the WCH and matched Rana’s 586 in qualification, has emerged as one of the most technically stable shooters of the season. The two form India’s strongest pistol pairing in years, with both capable of challenging China’s dominance.
10m Air Pistol Women: High Rankings, Internal Depth
Suruchi, World No. 1 in 10m Air Pistol, leads the women’s challenge after winning gold at the Munich World Cup. While she underperformed at the World Championships, her season-long consistency remains a major asset. She is joined by Esha Singh and Manu Bhaker both of whom reached the WCH finals in Cairo.
Manu’s qualification in two individual events (10m Air Pistol and 25m Pistol) gives India tactical flexibility and experience in two pressure events. Esha, fourth in WCH qualification (583), enters Doha with one of the steadiest qualification profiles in the field.
25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men: A Mature, Medal-Ready Pair
Anish Bhanwala’s WCH silver in Cairo secured through two nerve-wracking shoot-offs marks the biggest breakthrough of his senior career. His ability to sustain rhythm under elimination pressure makes him a top medal contender in Doha.
Vijayveer Sidhu, a World Cup gold medallist earlier in the season, completes a pairing that has proven capable of knocking out elite European shooters.
25m Pistol Women: New Blood in the Final Season Event
Simranpreet Kaur Brar, who won silver at the Lima World Cup, represents the new wave of Indian pistol. Her rapid-fire stage performance, where she dropped only one point in her final series, was a breakthrough. Manu Bhaker’s dual qualification adds depth in an event where India has historically struggled for podium consistency. Esha with her 25m Bronze in WCH has also made the cut.
Rifle: World Record-Level Performances Lead the Charge
India’s rifle squad is driven by elite adolescent consistency at 10m and world-class peak performance at 50m.
10m Air Rifle Men
Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, who won gold at the Buenos Aires World Cup, arrives with proven big-match temperament. Arjun Babuta, silver medallist in Lima and a WCH finalist, adds reliability and final-stage sharpness.
10m Air Rifle Women
Elavenil Valarivan’s 2025 season has been one of the best in her career. With bronze at both the World Championships and the Munich World Cup, and a stunning national record qualification score of 635.9, she enters Doha as one of India’s most reliable medal hopes.
50m Rifle 3 Positions Men
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar remains India’s most refined rifle shooter this year. His WCH silver, with a final score of 466.9, equalling the world record mark, puts him among the elite. Pushing China’s Liu Yukun to the final shot demonstrates peak capacity in the sport’s most complex event.
50m Rifle 3 Positions Women
World record holder and Asian champion Sift Kaur Samra brings tremendous scoring potential. But her inconsistency Asian Championship gold followed by 48th at the WCH places psychological pressure on her Doha performance.
Shotgun: A Veteran Keeps India in the Game
Zoravar Singh Sandhu, 48, remains India’s lone representative in trap. His WCH bronze in Athens was historic, making him only the third Indian ever to podium in men’s trap at a World Championship. His experience and calm under pressure give India a valuable outsider’s medal chance.
What India Can Expect in Doha
India’s 2025 season has produced 15 major international individual medals one of the highest annual returns in recent years. Based on current form, India’s expected medal range at the WCF is 5 to 7, with the strongest probabilities in:
- 10m Air Pistol Men
- 10m Air Pistol Women
- 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men
- 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men
- 10m Air Rifle Women
The ISSF World Cup Final will test India’s ability not just to qualify athletes for elite events, but to convert when finals pressure peaks. In Doha, India arrives not as an outsider, but as one of the world’s most complete shooting teams balanced, medal-ready, and battle-tested.
Quotas for Indians
10m Air Pistol Men: Samrat Rana, Varun Tomar
10m Air Pistol Women: Suruchi Singh, Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh
10m Air Rifle Men: Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, Arjun Babuta
10m Air Rifle Women: Elavenil Valarivan
25m RFP: Anish, Vijayveer
25m Pistol: Manu Bhaker, Simranpreet Kaur , Esha Singh
50m Rifle 3P men: Aishwary Tomar
50m Rifle 3P Women: Sift Kaur Samra
Trap: Zoravar Singh Sandhu
Data Courtesy Antik
