On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, the All-India Tennis Association (AITA) announced a five-member team for the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania Group I event. The tournament is set to be held from April 7-11 at the DLTA Stadium.
The five-member squad includes the names of Sahaja Yamalapalli, Vaishnavi Adkar, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, Rutuja Bhosale and Ankita Raina. Vaidehee Chaudhari has been named a reserve player for the tournament. Indian men’s tennis player Vishal Uppal will lead the team in the event, while Radhika Kanitkar has been named as the coach.
For Vaishanvi, this will be her debut in the Billie Jean King Cup 2026 edition. The 21-year-old had recently made history as the first active Indian women’s singles player to qualify in a W100 Final. The record was held by former player Sania Mirza. Vaishnavi’s brilliance was also showcased at the Bengaluru Open 2026, in which she finished as a runner-up.
India’s No. 1 women’s singles player, Sahaja, who was a wildcard entry in the 2026 Mumbai Open WTA 125K Series, will enter the tournament as an experienced player having participated in the 2025 edition alongside Srivalli.
Meanwhile, Srivalli is entering the tournament as one of the main contenders of the Indian contingent this year. In the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup. She won all five of her singles matches and qualified in the World Group Play-offs for the second time in the nation’s history. Her brilliance at the event had earned her the honour of the prestigious Billie Jean King Heart Award.
India’s squad selection for the Billie Jean King Cup was conducted on March 2 by the Professional Selection Committee. For the preparation, a coaching camp will be set up a week ahead of the event. Teams from across Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Thailand and Mongolia will be featured in the tournament, competing in a round robin format. Each tie will have best-of-three that includes two singles and one doubles match.
Only the top two teams from there will then advance to the Billie Jean King Cup playoffs, which will be held later this year. Meanwhile, the two teams finishing in the bottom will move to the Asia/Oceania Group II. Last year in 2025, India was the host of the tournament and had qualified for the Billie Jean King Cup playoffs. Their campaign, however, ended there after they suffered losses to teams like the Netherlands and Slovenia.
