India at Glasgow 2026: The Athletes Who Could Rewrite the Commonwealth Games Story
The Commonwealth Games 2026 opens in Glasgow on July 23 with a sharply reduced programme of just 10 sports. Hockey, badminton, shooting, and wrestling have all been dropped after the original Australian host pulled out over soaring costs. India, which won 61 medals at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, arrives with a 126-member squad. Here are the athletes carrying India's biggest hopes.
Neeraj Chopra and Rohit Yadav
Neeraj Chopra headlines India's athletics challenge at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The Olympic champion missed Birmingham through injury and returns with a season-best of 85.69m, below his personal best but improving. Alongside him, Rohit Yadav has actually been India's best javelin thrower this season, producing a career-best 87.05m in June to enter genuine gold medal contention.
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Murali Sreeshankar
Sreeshankar has made a remarkable return from a career-threatening patellar tendon injury. He has already cleared 8.38m this season, marginally ahead of Jamaica's Tajay Gayle at 8.37m, making him a credible gold medal contender in Glasgow.
Sarvesh Kushare
The Maharashtra athlete breached the 2.30m barrier this year, propelling him to fourth in the world rankings. His consistency has transformed him from outsider to genuine podium contender at the Commonwealth Games 2026.
Tejaswin Shankar
Tejaswin became the first Indian decathlete to cross the 8,000-point barrier, rewriting national records. His all-round ability makes him one of India's strongest medal prospects across all sports in Glasgow.
Mirabai Chanu and India's Weightlifting Brigade
The Tokyo Olympic silver medallist and former Commonwealth champion remains India's clearest gold medal favourite. Despite recent injury concerns, Mirabai Chanu is expected to dominate the women's 49kg category. She is not alone in carrying weightlifting hopes.
Bindyarani Devi, who won silver at Birmingham, returns to Glasgow with another realistic shot at the podium. Nirupama Devi Seram heads into her maiden Commonwealth Games after a strong domestic season, while Gyaneshwari Yadav has consistently improved over two seasons to emerge as a genuine medal contender in the 53kg division.
Lovlina Borgohain and Sachin Siwach
Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain arrives at the 2026 Commonwealth Games looking to rediscover top form. Sachin Siwach, who won gold at the 2025 World Boxing Cup Finals with a dominant 5-0 victory over Paris Olympic silver medallist Munarbek Seitbek Uulu, could be India's biggest surprise package.
Tulika Maan
After winning silver in Birmingham, Tulika Maan enters the Glasgow Commonwealth Games as a genuine gold medal favourite in women's heavyweight judo.
India's medal haul will look leaner than Birmingham, but the athletes heading to Glasgow carry the weight of a nation preparing for the Asian Games two months later.
(With inputs from yMedia)