Nearly 46 Commonwealth nations head to the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex from October 7-10, with defending champion Vidya Pillai leading India's bid to defend home turf
The Billiards & Snooker Federation of India (BSFI) has named an 18-member squad for the second edition of the Commonwealth Cue Sports Championships, which will be held in Ahmedabad from October 7 to 10, 2026, according to IANS and The Tribune. It is the first time the event has come to India, following its inaugural staging in Mauritius in 2025.
The Championships will be held at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex and will draw cueists from close to 46 Commonwealth nations, competing across five disciplines: English Billiards, Snooker, 10-Ball Pool, Heyball and Blackball, IANS and The Tribune reported. The event carries 10 medal sets across separate men's and women's competitions.
The Championships are organised by Apex Sports Promotion and hosted by the BSFI, with the World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS) and Commonwealth Sport as endorsing bodies, according to the WCBS's own event page. The tournament also coincides with the BSFI's centenary celebrations, and billiards is making its debut on the Commonwealth programme this year, per IANS.
October 7-10, 2026, at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad, with athletes arriving October 7 and departing October 11, per the WCBS event page.
Close to 46 Commonwealth nations are set to compete for 10 medal sets across five disciplines, IANS and The Tribune reported.
Hosted by the Billiards & Snooker Federation of India, organised by Apex Sports Promotion, and endorsed by the WCBS and Commonwealth Sport.
India's squad is built around three medallists from the inaugural 2025 edition in Mauritius: Vidya Pillai, who won gold in Women's Heyball; Shivam Arora, who took silver in Men's Heyball; and Chitra Magimairaj, who won silver in Women's 10-Ball Pool, according to IANS and The Tribune.
The squad also includes Anupama Ramachandran, the reigning IBSF Women's World Snooker champion, and Keerthana Pandian, the 2026 Asian Women's Snooker champion, alongside emerging talent Natasha Chethan, IANS reported. The Tribune listed the full 18-member squad, with nine men — including Siddharth Parikh, Rayaan Razmi, Laxman Rawat and Aditya Mehta — and nine women, including Revanna Umadevi, Shruthi Lakshminarayanan, Ishika Shah, Amee Kamani and Neena Praveen.
India won five medals at the inaugural Mauritius edition in 2025, including one gold and two silvers, according to IANS and The Tribune, giving the squad a benchmark to build on as it competes on home soil for the first time.
Defending gold medallist in Women's Heyball from the 2025 Mauritius edition, now competing on home soil.
Men's Heyball silver medallist in Mauritius, part of India's returning core for the Ahmedabad edition.
Reigning IBSF Women's World Snooker champion named to the 18-member squad, per IANS.
Vidya Pillai said, "Winning the first Commonwealth title was very special, but defending it in India makes this edition even more meaningful," according to IANS and The Tribune.
Shivam Arora, who won silver in Mauritius, said the result "gave me confidence, but it also left me wanting more," per The Tribune, as he looks to go a step further in front of a home crowd.
The Championships run from October 7 to 10, 2026, at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad.
The event is being held at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad, marking the first time the Championships have come to India.
India's 18-member squad is led by defending Women's Heyball champion Vidya Pillai and Men's Heyball silver medallist Shivam Arora, alongside reigning IBSF Women's World Snooker champion Anupama Ramachandran and 2026 Asian Women's Snooker champion Keerthana Pandian.
Close to 46 Commonwealth nations are expected to compete, according to IANS and The Tribune.
The Championships feature English Billiards, Snooker, 10-Ball Pool, Heyball and Blackball, with 10 medal sets across men's and women's events.
IANS | The Tribune | World Confederation of Billiards Sports