Billie Jean King Cup: India eye promotion to play-offs - Preview

The experienced Ankita Raina will spearhead India’s challenge at the Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania Group I in Pune, from April 8-12.

Apart from the hosts, teams from Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong China, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand and Thailand will also feature in the tournament. 

Ankita, ranked 304 in women's singles, will lead the five-member team including Sahaja Yamalapalli, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, Vaidehi Chaudhari and Prarthana Thombare, with the teenage sensation Maaya Rajeshwaran named as a reserve player.

India will begin its campaign against New Zealand.

World number 45 Lulu Sun will headline the New Zealand team. The New Zealand squad, seeded fourth at the event, also includes Kiwi number two Monique Barry who has a WTA ranking of 486 and 263 in singles and doubles respectively, and three young debutants in Aishi Das, Sasha Situe and Renee Zhang. 

Both teams will be looking to seek promotion. Last year, India finished third in their pool and missed out on promotion to the Billie Jean King Cup Playoffs for the third straight year by virtue of match points as South Korea and India has the same number of wins but Korea progressed to the next round with better match difference.

In other matches, Republic of Korea will be up against Chinese Taipei and Thailand will take on Hong Kong.

What’s at stake? 

The top two nations from here will advance to the playoffs. An extra qualification spot will be on offer for one team from any of the three Group I events worldwide (Europe/Africa, Americas, or Asia/Oceania). The criteria for selecting this additional team are yet to be determined.

The event features a round-robin format, with national teams competing in head-to-head ties each day, made up of two singles and one doubles rubber.

Indian Squad

Ankita Raina, Sahaja Yamalpalli, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, Vaidehi Chaudhari, Prarthana Thombare, Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi (reserve); Vishal Uppal (captain) and Radhika Kanitkar (coach).

Schedule

The schedule for first match of the Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania Group I is as follows. 

India vs New Zealand at 15:30 on 8 April, 2025

Republic of Korea vs Chinese Taipei on 8 April, 2025

Thailand vs Hong Kong on 8 April, 2025

The opening ceremony will begin at 3 PM and tournament will start with WS2, WS1 and women's doubles. 

Where to watch?

You can catch all the LIVE action from the Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania Group I on DD Sports. Live scoring available at www.billiejeankingcup.com from April 8 onwards.