Jaipur: Four players from Rajasthan have been selected in the Indian team for the fifth Asian Beach Kabaddi Games slated to be in Sanya, China from April 22 to 27.In a significant achievement for the state, Bijendra Singh Choudhary, Jitendra Yadav, and Jai Bhagwan have been picked in the men’s team, while Manpreet Kaur will be part of the Indian women’s squad.Tejasvi Singh Gehlot, director of the International Kabaddi Federation and president of the Rajasthan Olympic Association, stated that these players were selected based on their consistent outstanding performance at the national level.Rajasthan’s kabaddi teams have performed exceptionally well at the national level over the past two years. The team won gold medals at the 2024 National Championships in Bodhgaya, Bihar, and the 38th National Games in Rishikesh-Shivpuri, Uttarakhand, in 2025. Apart from this, Rajasthan claimed the silver medal in National Games 2026 held in Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh and gold medal in both men’s and women’s category in Khelo India Daman-Diu 2026.Rajasthan Olympic Association president Tejasvi Singh Gehlot while congratulating the selected players said that “this is a proud moment for the entire Rajasthan. The selection of these four players in the Indian team will be an inspiration for the youth. I am confident that these players will bring laurels to the state and the nation by performing well in the tournament.”He further said that, “enthusiasm for beach kabaddi is continuously increasing in the state. After this selection, this game will get a new momentum at school and college level also. Our effort will be to develop better infrastructure and training facilities for beach kabaddi in Rajasthan.”Wishing a bright future for all the selected players, Gehlot said that the state Olympic association will provide all possible support to such talented players. Along with this, president of the Kabaddi Federation of India, Vibhor Jain and president of the Rajasthan Kabaddi Association, Jitendra Singh Brar also congratulated the selected players. Both the officials said that the selection of Rajasthan players at the international level is the result of the strong infrastructure and training of kabaddi in the state.Indian beach kabaddi teamsWomen: Ritu, Manisha Kumari, Nikita (all Haryana), Manpreet Kaur (Rajasthan), Simran Kamboj (Punjab), Nikita Chauhan (Himachal Pradesh). Coach: Tejaswini V Bai. Manager: Devta Naik.Men: Brijendra Singh Choudhary, Jitendra Yadav, Jai Bhagwan (all Rajasthan), Neeraj (Haryana), Bhanu Pratap Tomar (UP), Yatharth Deshwal (Uttarakhand). Coach: Rakesh Kumar. Manager: Naseeb.
