Goa will field a strong squad at the Inter-State West Zone Badminton Championships, to be held in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, from September 3 to 6, 2026, with the team looking to make its presence felt against some of the leading badminton states in the zone.
Goa’s hopes will rest on nationally ranked players Aarush Pawaskar, Arjun Bhagat, Shaheen C K, Aswin Mannambalath, Sufiya Shaikh and Shivanjali Thite, while rising players including Dimple Revankar and Niharika Parwar will look to make their mark. The team has undergone focused preparations under coaches Vinayak Kamat and Navneet Nasnodkar and will be aiming for a strong overall performance.
“Goa has been coming up very well in badminton in recent years and we are now giving the bigger powerhouse states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh a tough fight,” said Praveen Shenoy, Secretary, Goa Badminton Association.
“Last year, our Junior Boys team upset Madhya Pradesh to win the bronze medal, while two of our players also won individual medals. The present team has trained well under Vinayak Kamat and Navneet Nasnodkar, and we are confident that the players will give their best and aim for a strong finish in Bilaspur.”
Goa squad: Aarush Pawaskar, Advait Balakrishnan, Anjana Kumari, Arjun Bhagat, Aryaman Saraf, Aswin Mannambalath, Devansh Sakpal, Dimple Revankar, Niharika Parwar, Nishant Shenai, Owais Tahasildar, Riya Haldankar, Rudra Phadte, Sanath Kamat, Shaheen C K, Shivanjali Thite, Soham Naik, Sufiya Shaikh, Vansh Khedkar. Officials: Vinayak Kamat (Coach), Navneet Nasnodkar (Coach), Praveen Shenoy (Manager), Lukmita Pawaskar (Manager), Shreyas Morudkar (Umpire).
