Players divided as Indian Volleyball conducts fresh trials after FIVB intervention

A total of 28 players, including veterans like Jerome Charles Vinith and Ashwal Rai, were selected from the trials for the national camp. The list will further be trimmed by half following the camp, and the remaining 14 or 15 players will wear the India jersey in the continental competitions.

The open trials were held in the backdrop of the ongoing tussle between the FIVB, Indian players, and the Volleyball Federation of India (AFI).

The interim VFI body had already selected a 28-member contingent for the national camp in April from a list of 40 invited players from the national championships. But following FIVB’s decision to revoke its recognition just a month after granting it, the reinstated Steering Committee called for open trials.

The decision didn’t go down well with a few of the players already selected in the 28-member team, with two of them – Vikram and Arjun Sharma – filing a writ petition against the open trials in the Delhi High Court.

The matter is now listed for 20 May, 2026, even as the petitioners continued to take part in the trials.

They were, however, not selected in the final 28-member contingent selected by head coach Mihailovic.

The Bridge reached out to both Vikram and Arjun. While the former didn’t respond, the latter declined to speak.

The divide among the players was evident during the three-day camp.

John Joseph, who had pulled out of the national camp in April after being named in the 28-member squad and opening the can of worms which led to FIVB intervention, wasn’t surprised that two among those 28 reached the High Court.

“I definitely don’t agree with those players, because I know better,” John told The Bridge.

“Everyone is aware of what’s happening now. I don’t know why they did this [file a petition]. Maybe it’s someone pressuring them,” he added.

However, another player who was named in the 28-member contingent in April agreed with Vikram and Arjun’s standpoint.

“I can understand their point of view. We underwent a selection process as was mandated by competing in the nationals and then making it out of the 40-man trials. Now, we have to again start from scratch here in the open trials,” the player, who didn’t want to be named, said.

A total of 19 players from the 28-member contingent from April also made it to the team selected by Mihailovic via the open trials.

The nine players who missed out include: Dushyant Singh, Aayush, Arjun Sharma, Vikram, Aman Kumar, Tanish Choudhary, Jaskaran Singh, Midhun Kumar, and Yogesh Kumar.

They were replaced in the team by Muthusamy Appavu, Jerome Vinith, Shubham Chaudhary, Ashwal Rai, Amrinderpal Singh, Hemanth Pulparambil, Nandhagopal, Prabakaran, and Jaskaran Singh.

Surprisingly, only two – Amrinderpal Singh and Jaskaran Singh – of the nine new entrants even featured among the 40 players who were invited for the trials by the interim VFI body in April.

“There’s a huge difference in the open trials and what was conducted earlier,” said veteran Ashwal, who was not among those invited for the 40-member trials for skipping the national championships in place of a foreign league.

“Anyone from across the country could come here and show their skills. Every play is recorded and analysed, which is how it should be,” he added.

Jerome also echoed the same sentiments.

“With open trials, almost double the players got the opportunity to showcase their talents,” said Jerome.

“It provides a good opportunity for younger players to get into the eyes of the coach and selection committee, who can decide how they’ll benefit the team in the long run,” he added.

For coach Mihailovic, who was sidelined from all the action last month by the interim VFI, before being brought back on the direction of the FIVB, it was about looking past the mess created.

“It is difficult to explain what happened,” Mihailovic said. “I don’t want to go back either.”

“That period is behind us, and the most important thing is now we have good, proper selection and have an opportunity to continue working with the guys.

“There’s not much time left; we lost quite a bit. We have 40-odd days before the AVC Nations Cup and the focus is on preparing the team for it,” he added.

Though everything seems to be finally aligning for Indian volleyball, it is imperative to keep eyes peeled on that 20 May date set by the Delhi High Court.

28-member team selected by Dragan

Muthusamy Appavu, Saqlain Tariq, Sameer Chaudhary, Lad Om Vasant, Preet Karan, Jerome Vinith, Shubham Chaudhary, Muhammad Nihal CK, Ashok, Jaskaran Singh, John Joseph, Shikhar Singh, Ashwal Rai, Jishnu PV, Shammemudheen, Jasjodh Singh, Amrinderpal Singh, Chirag Kumar, Amit, Erin Varghese, Prince, Joel Benjamin, Hemanth Pulparambil, Santhosh Anthoniraj, Nandhagopal, Anand Kootarathil, Prabakaran, Ramanathan Ramamoorthy