Four-day tournament in Vadodara featured 11 categories, providing national-level competition for emerging and established squash players
Vadodara, September 18, 2026: The Baroda Squash Open 2026, organised by Chiripal Group under its Chiripal Squash Excellence Programme, concluded in Vadodara after drawing 157 players from 19 states. Held from September 14 to 17 at the Bhayli facility of Shakti Sports Club, the four-day tournament featured 11 categories spanning junior, open, masters and professional coach events.
Players from Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Telangana, Gujarat and other states competed across the Under-11, Under-13, Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 junior categories, alongside Men’s Open, Men’s 35+, Men’s 45+ and Pro Coach events. The tournament was conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) andthe All Gujarat Squash Racquets Association (AGSRA).
The tournament brought together players at different stages of their competitive journeys, giving young athletes an opportunity to compete against players from outside their home states and gain experience beyond local and state-level competitions. For established players, the event provided another competitive platform within the national squash calendar.
The Baroda Squash Open is part of the Chiripal Squash Excellence Programme, which focuses on strengthening opportunities for athlete development and competition in Gujarat. The programme operates through a 4C framework—Coaches, Clinics, Competitions and Champions—covering coaching, training initiatives, competitive exposure and athlete development.
Ronak Chiripal, Promoter, Chiripal Group, said, “Competitions such as the Baroda Squash Open 2026 are important because they give players the opportunity 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 closing ceremony was attended by Jignesh Pathak, Director, Shakti Sports Club, as Chief Guest, and Dr Nachiket Parikh, Founder and Orthopaedic Sports Injury Surgeon, Pro Health Hospital, as Distinguished Guest. The organisers also acknowledged the guidance and support of Cyrus Poncha, Secretary General, SRFI, and Bhanu Pratap Singh Wala, Secretary, AGSRA, in conducting the tournament.
Tournament results
In the junior categories, Irya Chandra of Karnataka defeated Navya Khatri of Tamil Nadu in Girls Under-11, while Harshveer Pahwa of Madhya Pradesh defeated Kian George of Karnataka in Boys Under-11.
In Girls Under-13, Suhasini Mishra of Delhi defeated fellow Delhi player Naina Anand, while Nirmaan Chamaria of Maharashtra defeated fellow state player Krishiv Mittal in Boys Under-13.
In Girls Under-15, Devki Anand of Maharashtra defeated Aeva Parekh of Maharashtra. In Boys Under-15, Armaan Choudhary of Maharashtra defeated Kiaan Kulkarni, also of Maharashtra.
Sherbir Singh Poonia of Madhya Pradesh defeated Sagnik Sarkar of Assam in Boys Under-17, while Himanshu Kumar defeated Abhinav Kumar in Boys Under-19.
In the masters categories, Anil Kumar of Delhi defeated Bharath Danam of Telangana in Men’s 45+, while Mohd Anas of Delhi defeated Amit Singhvi of Gujarat in Men’s 35+. In the Pro Coach category, Akhilesh Kumar defeated Raja Yadav to win the title.
