Tennis
Billie Jean King Cup 2026: Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, Vaidehee ruled out due to injuries
Zeel Desai, currently ranked World No. 550, replaces the injured duo and returns to the national setup.
Zeel Desai made her BJK Cup debut during the 2021 play-offs against Latvia. (Photo credit: zeeldesai_official)
Ahmedabad’s Zeel Desai has been roped into the Indian squad as injury concerns hit the team ahead of the Billie Jean King Cup Asia/Oceania Group I, set to be held at the DLTA Complex in New Delhi from April 7-11.
India’s preparations have been disrupted with Shrivalli Bhamidipaty (World No. 520 ) and Vaidehee Chaudhari (World No 455) ruled out due to injuries. Shrivalli withdrew because of a back injury, while Vaidehee twisted her ankle during a training session in Delhi.
Zeel Desai, currently ranked World No. 550, replaces the injured duo and returns to the national setup. The 24-year-old had previously represented India, making her debut during the 2021 play-offs against Latvia.
Indian captain Vishal Uppal confirmed the development to The Bridge. "Zeel Desai has been asked to fly in. Shrivalli and Vaidehee have been ruled out due to injury concerns," Uppal said.
The 24-year-old comes into the squad in good form. She recently reached the semifinals of the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Open ITF event and won the ITF W15 title in Gurgaon, where she defeated Polina Kuharenko in straight sets.
India will compete alongside Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Mongolia and Thailand as they start their new campaign at the DLTA Complex, starting on April 7. They'll battle it out in a round-robin format with two coveted qualification spots for the Play-offs up for grabs.
Despite the disruption caused by injuries, the team will look to make the most of home conditions as they begin their campaign in New Delhi.