India anti doping update: Abhishek Sharma, Axar Patel added, cricket in focus, athletics still dominant

India’s emerging T20 stars Abhishek Sharma and all rounder Axar Patel have been included in the National Anti Doping Agency Registered Testing Pool for the second quarter of 2026, marking a key update in the country’s elite athlete monitoring system.

The latest list features 348 sportspersons across disciplines , with athletics continuing to dominate, while cricket maintains a strong presence with 14 players included in total .

The Registered Testing Pool requires athletes to provide daily whereabouts information and remain available for out of competition testing within specified time windows. Missing updates or failing to provide whereabouts three times is treated as a doping violation .

In cricket, several top names continue in the pool, including India’s captain Shubman Gill, along with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh and Tilak Varma.

On the women’s side, World Cup winners Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma and Renuka Singh Thakur continue under monitoring.

This quarter saw changes, with Smriti Mandhana and Shreyas Iyer replaced by Abhishek Sharma and Axar Patel in the updated list.

Athletics remains the largest segment , rising to 134 athletes , featuring top names such as Avinash Sable, Jyothi Yarraji, Tejaswin Shankar, Animesh Kujur, Shaili Singh, M Sreeshankar and Tajinderpal Singh Toor.

The list also includes archery stars like Deepika Kumari, Rakesh Kumar and Sheetal Devi, while hockey features key players including Harmanpreet Singh, Manpreet Singh, Savita Punia and others.

Badminton, boxing and wrestling also have strong representation, making the list a comprehensive national anti doping monitoring system across major sports.

The Registered Testing Pool remains a key framework ensuring fair play, discipline and transparency in elite Indian sport.