Baroda Squash Open 2026 Crowns Winners Across 11 Events
Baroda Squash Open 2026 Brings 157 Players From 19 States to Vadodara
The Baroda Squash Open 2026 brought 157 players from 19 states to Vadodara for four days of competition, giving junior and senior squash players a chance to face opponents from outside their home regions.
The tournament was held from September 14 to 17 at the Bhayli facility of Shakti Sports Club and was organised by Chiripal Group through its Chiripal Squash Excellence Programme. Eleven categories were contested, covering junior age groups, open and masters competitions, as well as a Pro Coach event.
Players travelled to Vadodara from states including Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Telangana and Gujarat. The junior programme included Under-11, Under-13, Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 events. The senior section included Men’s Open, Men’s 35+ and Men’s 45+, while professional coaches competed in a separate category.
The tournament was conducted under the guidelines of the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) and the All Gujarat Squash Racquets Association (AGSRA).
For younger players, tournaments such as this provide match experience that is difficult to gain through regular coaching sessions. A player who normally competes against familiar opponents can face different playing styles, court tactics and levels of pressure when competitors arrive from several states.
The Baroda event also comes at a significant time for Indian squash. The sport will make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games after the International Olympic Committee approved squash as one of five additional sports for the Games. That decision has given the sport a new international target, particularly for young players working through India’s junior competition system.
Gujarat has also seen a series of squash events during 2026. The Chiripal Ahmedabad Squash Open, held earlier in the year, attracted 229 players from 19 states and featured 11 categories. The Gujarat State Squash Championship followed from August 1 to 3, with titles decided across junior, senior and masters sections.
The latest tournament in Vadodara therefore forms part of a busy period for competitive squash in the state. Regular tournaments give players more opportunities to compete and help coaches assess how athletes perform against a wider group of opponents.
The Chiripal Squash Excellence Programme uses a 4C model covering Coaches, Clinics, Competitions and Champions. The programme has been involved in coaching clinics and tournaments in Gujarat, including activities in Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Vadodara.
Ronak Chiripal, Promoter, Chiripal Group, said, “Competitions such as the Baroda Squash Open 2026 are important because they allow players to test themselves against strong competition from across the country. The participation of 157 players from 19 states reflects the interest in competitive squash. Through Chiripal Squash Excellence, our focus is to support the ecosystem around the sport and create more opportunities for athletes to progress from grassroots participation to higher levels of competition.”
The role of competition becomes particularly important for junior players because progression in squash depends on more than regular practice. Players need experience in tournament conditions, where they must manage the pressure of scoring points, adjust to opponents and recover between matches.
The results in Vadodara showed competition across several age groups.
In Girls Under-11, Irya Chandra of Karnataka defeated Navya Khatri of Tamil Nadu. Harshveer Pahwa of Madhya Pradesh beat Kian George of Karnataka in Boys Under-11.
The Girls Under-13 final was won by Delhi’s Suhasini Mishra, who defeated fellow Delhi player Naina Anand. In Boys Under-13, Maharashtra’s Nirmaan Chamaria defeated fellow state player Krishiv Mittal.
Devki Anand of Maharashtra won the Girls Under-15 title after defeating Aeva Parekh, also from Maharashtra. In Boys Under-15, Armaan Choudhary of Maharashtra defeated Kiaan Kulkarni.
Sherbir Singh Poonia of Madhya Pradesh defeated Sagnik Sarkar of Assam in Boys Under-17. Himanshu Kumar won the Boys Under-19 title after defeating Abhinav Kumar.
The masters events added an older age group to the tournament. In Men’s 45+, Anil Kumar of Delhi defeated Bharath Danam of Telangana. Mohd Anas of Delhi won Men’s 35+ after beating Amit Singhvi of Gujarat.
Akhilesh Kumar won the Pro Coach category, defeating Raja Yadav.
The closing ceremony was attended by Jignesh Pathak, Director of Shakti Sports Club, as Chief Guest. Dr Nachiket Parikh, Founder and Orthopaedic Sports Injury Surgeon at Pro Health Hospital, attended as Distinguished Guest.
The organisers also acknowledged the support and guidance of Cyrus Poncha, Secretary General of the Squash Rackets Federation of India, and Bhanu Pratap Singh Wala, Secretary of the All Gujarat Squash Racquets Association.
For Vadodara, the tournament adds another national-level competition to a city that has been developing facilities and programmes for several sports. Shakti Sports Club in the Bhayli area has squash among the sports offered at its facility, alongside badminton, tennis, swimming, pickleball and other activities.
The results also show the spread of junior squash across several parts of India. Players from Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Assam featured among the winners, while athletes from Gujarat and other states also took part.
With squash set to enter the Olympic programme in 2028, tournaments that bring together players from several states will remain an important part of the competitive calendar. For the 157 players who competed in Vadodara, the four-day event added another set of matches to that longer road.
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