No Telangana Players in India Volleyball Squad for 2026 AVC Cup Raises Concerns

The complete absence of players from Telangana in the Indian squad for the upcoming 2026 AVC Volleyball Cup for Men in Ahmedabad has raised serious concerns over the decline of the sport in the state. Speaking in Hyderabad on June 16, 2026, former international volleyballer GV Madhav and former sports officials highlighted the ongoing decline in local standards alongside factionalism at the national level.

The 2026 AVC Volleyball Cup is scheduled to be held from June 20 to 28 in Ahmedabad. According to Madhav, the fact that not a single player from Telangana made the squad is a grim reminder of the sport's decline. He noted that the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh was once a major force in Indian volleyball, producing several top-tier players who represented the country.

Madhav also detailed significant administrative issues at the national level that have disrupted team preparations. Factionalism within the national administration led to temporary recognition being granted to the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) following elections under an FIVB-appointed steering committee.

Following this temporary recognition, the VFI held the Senior Nationals in Varanasi and conducted trials in Ahmedabad. However, several senior players, including Jerome Vinith and Ashwal Rai, were ignored because they were playing in Mongolia.

Further issues emerged when players John Joseph and Anand walked out of the national coaching camp, citing archaic training methods and a lack of facilities. The camp was initially run under coach G E Sreedharan, despite the presence of foreign expert Serbian Dragan Mihailovic.

This coaching choice prompted the FIVB to revoke the provisional recognition of the VFI, which was led by Virendra Kanwar. A steering committee led by the Indian Olympic Association's Rohit Rajpal subsequently took over, conducting retrials from May 29 to 31 and placing Mihailovic in charge of the camp.

Madhav criticized the overall preparation for the AVC Cup, pointing out that the final 12-member squad had still not been finalized despite India hosting the tournament. He noted that the team lacked exposure trips and practice matches against strong teams like Qatar or South Korea.

On a positive note for local volleyball, Madhav shared that 16 boys from the SAI Hostel in Hyderabad recently left for an unprecedented two-week exposure trip to Osaka, Japan.