Billie Jean King Cup: As you read these lines, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, Sahaja Yamlapalli, Ankita Raina, Rutuja Bhosale, Viashnavi Adkar, and Vaidehi Chaudhari are engaged in dedicated groundstroke play inside the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) Stadium.
Vishal Uppal, the skipper of India’s Billie Jean King Cup contingent carefully monitors the progress of the girls along with coach Radhika Kanitkar. For the second year in a row, the Indian team eyes for a berth in the World Group Play-offs.
🇮🇳 @ #BJKCup
🎯: World Group Play-Offs
📍: DLTA, New Delhi
🗓️: 07-11 April 2026
Capt: Vishal Uppal
Coach: Radhika Kanitkar
Squad: Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, Sahaja Yamlapalli, Ankita Raina, Rutuja Bhosale, Vaishnavi Adkar, Vaidehi Chaudhari. pic.twitter.com/z1o0qZa8nk— Dr Balraj | બલરાજ (@balrajshukla) April 4, 2026
The Asia/Oceania Group I matches of the 2026 Billie Jean King Cup are all set to be held at the DLTA stadium from 7th April to 11th April 2026. India’s five-day training camp ahead of the event gives them an edge in front of the home crowd. The five other teams with which India will compete in a single round-robin format are New Zealand, Indonesia, Mongolia, South Korea, and Thailand. Each tie will comprise of two singles and a doubles fixture.
RECAP OF 2025 BILLIE JEAN KING CUP
Last year, India were mighty impressive in the regional group stages held at Pune, as they defeated Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Korea by a score of 2-1. A loss to New Zealand (1-2) put them second in the group stage, but enough to progress to the World Group Play-offs. In the play-offs, the women in blue were bracketed with a strong Netherlands and Slovenia squad, eventually putting India back to the Asia/Oceania Group I.
The highlight performance of previous year came from Shrivalli, who managed to win all five of her singles matches. Moreover, Ankita Raina and Prarthana Thombare’s doubles win in a crucial encounter against South Korea improved the prospects of the team to progress to the higher stage.
INDIA SQUAD FOR 2026 BILLIE JEAN KING CUP
Shrivalli Bhamidipathy: Though she was the most important player of the squad last year, Shrivalli is yet to win consecutive matches in 2026 and has shown concerns of her form in singles. However, she is also a capable doubles player, and can be a prospective partner of Ankita or Rutuja depending on the scoreline and situation of the event.
Sahaja Yamlapalli: Sahaja had a forgetful outing at the BJK Cup in singles last year. But ever since, she battled her way on the circuit to be India’s highest ranked singles player currently. A final four finish at the ITF events in Uvero Alto and Wichita were exemplary of her dedicated efforts.
“It’s super motivating… we’ve experienced the playoffs last year. We’re ready to fight for every point and bring that same energy again.”
Ankita Raina: For the longest time, Ankita was the face of India’s women’s singles tennis. However, with the rise of Sahaja, Shrivalli, and Adkar, Ankita has found her safe haven in doubles and is likely to be a doubles specialist for the squad. Owing to her game and experience, a pairing with either Rutuja, Shrivalli, or Adkar will be fruitful from India’s point of view.
“We have a strong team and we are wel prepared. Having BJK Cup at home in India makes a big difference and we have seen that in the past. Whether its the comfort of conditions, having everything organized, and especially crowd support. If I am not wrong, for playing nearly for 13-14 consecutive years for the Indian team still feels like a blessing for being a dream that comes true. My best performances have come while playing for India.For example my wins against Lin Zhu and Yulia Putintseva in 2018 who were then ranked within the Top 50. I feel everyone playing for their country brings out their best. Sure rankings are there, but there are a lot of surprises when players represent their nation. So we just got to believe we can repeat what we as a team performed in Pune.” – Ankita Raina in an exclusive to IndiaSportsHub’s Dr Balraj Shukla
Rutuja Bhosale: After being sidelined due to injury woes in the past six months, Rutuja is back in the squad and has been preferred over Prarthna Thombare for the Billie Jean King Cup this year. As a doubles specialist, she is likely to team up with Ankita Raina for the doubles fixture.
“We know what we’re up against. We’ve played these girls before. It’s going to be tough, but we’re preparing well.”
Vaishnavi Adkar: India’s rising star, Vaishnavi Adkar is currently the nation’s second best singles player. She has had a booming start to her 2026 season, dropping only one set from her six UTR Pro series 9 event, finishing as a runner-up at the Bangalore ITF, and lifting the Kalaburagi ITF trophy earlier in March. “We’ve had two sessions every day, getting used to the conditions, courts and balls. The team spirit is very high.”
Vaidehi Chaudhari: India’s No.3 singles player Vaidehi Chaudhari has retained herself in the Billie Jean King Cup side this year too. She won both her singles rubbers at the Billie Jean King Cup last year. In 2026, a quarterfinals and runner-up finish at Launceston and Burnie in March are a couple of very promising signs for India. “I’d like to break into the top 300 so that I can play Grand Slam qualifying. This year I’ll definitely do my best.”
The Competition
India’s only loss in the group stages was against New Zealand last year. Lulu Sun, had been instrumental in this Kiwi victory, as she featured in both the singles and doubles wins against India. Sun does not feature in New Zealand’s Billie Jean King Cup squad this year. Instead of Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong, India will face Indonesia and Mongolia this year. Captain Vishal Uppal has assured that against none of the teams can India make the mistake of letting their guard down.
“It’s going to be a tough task and a tough battle for everyone. Everyone is coming with a good team. The level of competition in this group is very strong, with every team having players capable of changing the tie. Consistency and decision-making in key moments will be crucial for us. You can’t even take Mongolia lightly because they have qualified for Group 1. Then, you have New Zealand and Indonesia who have top-400 singles players and obviously, they start as slight favorites over others. Korea and Thailand are never easy.” – Vishal Uppal, Billie Jean King Cup Captain, India.
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Vishal Uppal wishes Delhi’s mercury to rise even more. He believes that the team’s early arrival was mainly due to getting used to the conditions. Since 2020, India has twice made it to the World Group Play-Offs. This year, as the highest ranked team of the Asia/Oceania Group I, they will expect to get to the higher echelon for the third time.
After the Group I stage, the top two teams will progress to the World Group Play-offs, whereas the bottom two teams will be relegated to Asia/Oceania Group II. Teams finishing third and fourth will retain their position in Group I.
All matches of the Billie Jean King Cup will be streamed via DD Sports in India.
