India is set to host the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships 2026 at the Thyagraj Stadium in New Delhi from July 27 to August 2, with players from more than 25 countries competing across team and individual events. Returning after a seven-year gap, the tournament marks a significant moment for Indian table tennis, especially after the country's historic clean sweep of all seven gold medals at the previous edition in 2019.

The championship is being staged alongside the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where table tennis is not part of the sports programme, making the New Delhi event the premier Commonwealth competition for the sport this year.

India banking on experienced stars

India's squad features a blend of experienced internationals and emerging talent. Four Olympians—Sreeja Akula, G Sathiyan, Manav Thakkar and Harmeet Desai—will lead the challenge on home soil.

The men's team will also feature Manush Shah, currently ranked World No. 2 in men's doubles alongside Manav Thakkar in the ITTF rankings. Thakkar enters the tournament as India's highest-ranked men's singles player at World No. 38, while Shah is close behind at World No. 40.

Defending men's singles champion Harmeet Desai will look to retain the title he won at the 2019 championships in Cuttack.

Manika Batra misses out

One of the biggest talking points ahead of the tournament is the absence of Manika Batra, India's highest-ranked women's singles player and one of the country's most decorated Commonwealth table tennis athletes.

Batra, who has won four Commonwealth Championship gold medals, has not been included in the Indian squad.

However, the women's team remains strong with Sreeja Akula, Syndrela Das, Yashaswini Ghorpade, Sutirtha Mukherjee and Swastika Ghosh expected to shoulder India's medal hopes.

Several champions return

Six members of India's historic 2019 gold-winning contingent are back for another campaign. Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, G Sathiyan, Harmeet Desai, Sreeja Akula and Sutirtha Mukherjee were all part of the squad that achieved the unprecedented clean sweep in Cuttack.

India became only the third nation in the tournament's history to win all seven gold medals in a single edition. Earlier, England accomplished the feat in the first three editions (1971, 1973 and 1975), while Hong Kong China did so in 1983.

Strong international competition

Despite enjoying home advantage, India is expected to face stiff competition from several Commonwealth nations.

England's challenge will be led by experienced internationals Sam Walker, Tin-Tin Ho and Maria Tsaptsinos, while Australia has named Olympians Nicholas Lum and Minhyung Jee in its squad.

The championship will feature competitions in men's team, women's team, men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles.

Where to watch

Fans in India can watch the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships 2026 through live streaming on the Freedom Global Sports Network Pro YouTube channel. There will be no live television broadcast of the tournament in India.

With a strong home contingent, experienced champions and rising stars in the mix, India will be aiming to begin the tournament with another dominant performance and add to its rich legacy in Commonwealth table tennis.