NRAI announces Indian shooting squad for the 2026 Asian Games

National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), on Thursday, announced the 18-member Indian Rifle and Pistol contingent for the shooting programme of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

They combined with the 12-member Indian shotgun squad will form a strong Indian shooting team that will be fighting for medals across 28 events in Japan.

After a gruelling 5-day final selection trials in Dehradun earlier this week, the Indian team has witnessed some surprising entries and big exits.

One of the major decisions is that India will send only one athlete in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol event due to the limited quota of 30 athletes.

Due to the quota restriction, India has also selected several shooters with lower national rankings who are capable of competing in two events.

Two-time Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker is one of the shooters selected for two events,  the women’s 25m pistol and the women’s 10m air pistol.

Meanwhile, the other two Paris Olympic medalists, Sarabjot Singh and Swapnil Kusale, missed out on the team after finishing 9th and 29th, respectively, in the National Rankings.

Similarly, reigning Individual Asian Games champion Sift Kaur Samra also failed to qualify as she stands 10th in the women’s 50m 3P rankings.

Speaking of the squad selected for the Asian Games. NRAI President Kalikesh Singh Deo said, “Selecting this team was a challenging task given the exceptional depth and quality of talent in Indian shooting today.

Given the 30-athlete cap for a programme that accommodates participation across 36 event slots, the Selection Committee undertook a detailed event-wise evaluation to ensure that the final squad provides India with the strongest possible representation and the best opportunity for competitive success across disciplines.

The final squad reflects the strength, depth and versatility of Indian shooting. We are confident that this team will represent India with distinction and make the nation proud in Aichi-Nagoya.”

Indian shooting team for Asian Games 2026

Rifle: Parth Mane, Himanshu Dhillon, Rudrankksh Patil, Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar, Vidarsha Vinod, Aishwary Tomar, Niraj Kumar, Tilottma Sen, Ashi Chouksey

Pistol: Suruchi Singh, Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, Anish Bhanwala, Rahi Sarnobat, Kedarling Uchaganve, Gaurav, Kamljeet

Shotgun: Kynan Chenai, Ahyvar Rizvi, Shapath Bhardawaj, Neeru, Manisha Keer, Aashima Ahlawat, Anantjeet Gill, Bhavtegh Gill, Mairaz Khan, Parinaaz Dhaniwal, Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chuhan