India Shines at Asian Cup Bridge Championship with Four Medals

June 28, 2026

Panaji, June 28: The host nation, India, excelled at the 5th Asian Cup Bridge Championship, securing three silver medals and one bronze. On Saturday, India’s performance in both the team and match point finals was outstanding.

The highlight came from the ‘India B Seniors’ team, which topped the league stage. They achieved one of the tournament’s most memorable victories by defeating Japan in a thrilling semifinal, earning a spot in the gold medal final. Supported by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the team ultimately settled for silver after a tough match against Australia.

The ‘India B Seniors’ team comprised Sukmal Das, Hemant Jalan, Jitendra Solani, Anil Padhye, Rajesh Dalal, and Raju Tolani. Under the guidance of coach NPC Anil Shah, the team delivered an impressive performance, remaining in contention for the title until the final moments.

India also claimed a bronze medal in the men’s team championship, with the ‘India A’ team making it to the podium. In the match point finals, Savleen and Sadhana Gupta won silver in the women’s pairs, while Subir Majumdar and Sujit Kumar Bhattacharjee secured silver in the seniors pairs.

Gold medals in the team championship were distributed among Asia’s leading bridge nations. Australia won the seniors title, while Hong Kong China emerged as champions in the men’s event. Indonesia claimed the women’s title, and China took the mixed teams crown.

In the match point finals, Wei Ho and Sun Wei Li (Chinese Taipei) won the men’s title, while Barbara Travis and Lori Smith (Australia) triumphed in the women’s event. Suk King Chan and Kon Wong (Hong Kong China) won the mixed title, and Younghong Cheng and Wei Wei Tsao (Chinese Taipei) claimed the seniors crown.

India also showcased remarkable talent in an additional event, the ‘Friendship Pairs.’ Arun Bapat and Ajay Khare became champions with 616.64 points, while Kamna Sharma and Abhijit Pal earned a bronze medal with 586.82 points.

With three silver medals and one bronze, along with gold and bronze medals in the HCL Friendship Pairs, the host nation further solidified its growing reputation among Asia’s leading bridge-playing countries.