India’s leading 10m Air Rifle shooters have arrived at the Lakshya Shooting Club, Karnala Sports Academy in Panvel, Navi Mumbai, as preparations get underway for the 16th edition of the RR Lakshya Cup 2025, powered by RR Global.
The invitation-only competition, scheduled to be held across February 21 and 22, will feature the country’s top 20-ranked shooters in what has evolved into one of India’s most respected domestic rifle shooting tournaments.
The two-day event will begin with qualification rounds on February 21, featuring four relays starting at 09:30 AM, followed by sessions at 11:30 AM, 01:30 PM, and 03:30 PM. Free training will be conducted later in the evening between 05:00 PM and 07:00 PM. The remaining two qualification relays will take place on February 22 at 09:30 AM and 11:30 AM, after which attention will shift to the finals.
The Junior 10m Air Rifle Final is scheduled for 02:00 PM, followed by the Senior Final at 03:30 PM. The competition will conclude with the Prize Distribution Ceremony at 05:30 PM and a closing banquet later in the evening.
The field includes some of India’s most accomplished names across both the junior and senior categories. Reigning National Champion and World Championship medallist Kiran Jadhav returns as the defending Lakshya Cup Senior Champion and current holder of the rotating Silver Trophy. ISSF World Cup medallist Sonam Maskar will also be in action, alongside reigning National Games Champion and Junior World Champion Parth Mane.
International shooter and former National Champion Rajshree Sancheti, as well as Asian Championships Youth gold medallist Ojasvi Thakur, are among the other prominent participants expected to compete over the weekend.
The Senior Champion will be awarded a cash prize of ₹1.5 lakhs along with the rotating Silver Trophy, while the Junior Champion will receive ₹75,000. Additional podium finishers will also be rewarded with cash prizes, alongside shooting equipment and accessories provided by equipment partner Capapie Sports and accessories partner Tiro Sports.
Founded in 2006, the Lakshya Shooting Club introduced the Lakshya Cup in 2009 as an intra-club competition aimed at simulating high-pressure match environments for athletes in training. Conceptualised by Olympian, Arjuna Awardee and Dronacharya Awardee Suma Shirur, the tournament has since grown into a vital platform that bridges the gap between training excellence and competitive exposure for emerging as well as elite shooters.
Speaking ahead of the event, Shirur, Founder and High-Performance Director of Lakshya Shooting Club, highlighted the importance of structured competition in athlete development. She noted that the Lakshya Cup continues to serve as a performance-driven environment where athletes can test themselves under match conditions that closely mirror international competition.
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One of the defining aspects of the Lakshya Cup since its inception has been its emphasis on gender parity. In both the senior and junior categories, men and women compete together for the same podium positions, reinforcing a performance-first competitive structure within Indian rifle shooting.
The 16th RR Lakshya Cup is being conducted with the support of the Maharashtra Rifle Association and the National Rifle Association of India. The event also acknowledges contributions from partners including Capapie Sports (Equipment Partner), Tiro Sports (Accessories Partner), Karnala Sports Academy (Venue Partner), Munoth Group (Realty Partner), Tara Chand Infralogistic Solutions Ltd. (Logistics Partner), and Texon Corporation (Technology Partner).
Lakshya Shooting Club, a Khelo India-accredited academy since 2018, continues to play a significant role in strengthening India’s high-performance rifle shooting ecosystem. Through professionally managed competitions such as the Lakshya Cup, the academy aims to provide athletes with opportunities to sharpen their competitive readiness while contributing to the broader pipeline of Indian shooting talent.
With some of the country’s best rifle shooters set to compete across two intense days of qualification and finals, the 16th edition of the RR Lakshya Cup promises to be a critical domestic contest for athletes preparing for the international calendar ahead.
