The National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) has released its testing pool for 2026, comprising a total of 348 athletes. The list includes two members of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad, Abhishek Sharma and Axar Patel.
Athletes included in this registered testing pool are required to provide detailed information regarding their whereabouts throughout the year. This obligation ensures that anti-doping officials can conduct testing at any time without prior notice. In many instances, NADA officials may visit locations provided by the athletes in order to collect samples, making it mandatory for players to be available at the specified times and places they have declared.
Under the applicable anti-doping regulations, failure to comply with whereabouts requirements is treated seriously. If an athlete is not found at the declared location on three separate occasions, or fails to provide a sample in accordance with the established procedures, it is recorded as a violation equivalent to a failed doping test. Such breaches may result in disciplinary consequences in line with anti-doping rules.
In the newly released 2026 pool, Abhishek Sharma and Axar Patel have been included, while Shreyas Iyer and Smriti Mandhana, who were part of the previous list, have been removed. The updated roster also features several other prominent Indian cricketers from both the men’s and women’s national setups.
These include Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, Lokesh Rahul, Arshdeep Singh, Tilak Varma, Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma, and Renuka Singh, among others. Their inclusion reflects their status within the national framework, as athletes who are subject to routine anti-doping oversight due to their participation at the highest levels of international cricket.
The testing pool system forms part of a structured anti-doping framework designed to ensure compliance with global standards. Athletes listed under this system remain under regular monitoring and are required to maintain accurate and up-to-date whereabouts information, enabling unannounced testing at any point during the year.
Players in NADA 2026 Testing Pool
| Player Name | Status |
|---|---|
| Abhishek Sharma | Included |
| Axar Patel | Included |
| Shubman Gill | Included |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | Included |
| Hardik Pandya | Included |
| Rishabh Pant | Included |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Included |
| Lokesh Rahul | Included |
| Arshdeep Singh | Included |
| Tilak Varma | Included |
| Deepti Sharma | Included |
| Shafali Verma | Included |
| Renuka Singh | Included |
| Shreyas Iyer | Removed from previous list |
| Smriti Mandhana | Removed from previous list |
The publication of the 2026 testing pool underscores the ongoing regulatory process governing elite athletes, particularly those competing at international level. The system is designed to ensure that all listed players adhere to consistent monitoring requirements throughout the year, in line with established anti-doping protocols.