National Stadium gears up for National squash

The 81st HCL National squash championship is all set to be hosted in the heart of Delhi in the National Stadium from August 23 to 28.

Even though the venue has hosted domestic and international events in the past, the sheer volume and the number of matches would mean a litmus test.

The men will compete first in a pre-qualifying draw of 256. The top 16 from this bunch will then be joined by 16 seeded players in the qualifying event. Eight qualifiers will eventually join eight seeded players in a main draw of 16.

Similarly, the women will first compete in a pre-qualifying draw of 64. Then there will be a qualifying draw of 32 which already has seasoned players like Janet Vidhi, Sunita Patel, Urwashi Joshi, Unnati Tripathi and Tanvi Khanna to name a few.

The women’s main draw will also have eight seeded players and eight qualifiers.

Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh are the defending champions in the men’s and women’s sections. Both have won it twice. Anahat would, in fact, be eyeing a hat-trick.

Indian squash has been nurtured by a big supporter in HCL for the last 10 years, when the company first started by supporting the Junior National championship. Thereafter, it backed the men’s and women’s National championship, at times hosting it at its facilities in the Shiv Nadar University and the HCL Headquarters.

“Indian squash has great potential to make a global mark. It needs sustained support and platforms to grow. Through our collaboration with SRFI, we are committed to building that ecosystem. The National championship is not just a tournament, it is a stage for India’s best to push the boundaries and inspire the next generation,” said Rajat Chandolia, Associate Vice President of HCL.

The men’s and women’s champions will get ₹1,30,000 each. The runners-up ₹75,000. There will be a total of ₹7,70,000 prize money, including ₹1,40,000 for the pro coaches event.

“We are excited to have our marquee event at the only SAI squash facility in the country, at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. All our best players are competing, including the top seeds Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh, who had won the Asian Games doubles medals as a team. The National championship is a fabulous event, and we are grateful to HCL for the support. We are also express gratitude to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for the support to host the National championship,” said the secretary general of SRFI, Cyrus Poncha.