The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has published its registered testing pool for 2026, comprising a total of 348 athletes. Among those included are two members of India’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup-winning squad, Abhishek Sharma and Axar Patel.
Athletes listed in this testing pool are required to provide detailed information about their whereabouts throughout the year. This enables anti-doping authorities to collect samples at any time, often without prior notice. In many cases, NADA officials visit the locations provided by the athletes to obtain samples, making it mandatory for them to be present at the specified place during the declared time.
Under the established anti-doping regulations, if an athlete fails to be available at the designated location on three occasions or does not provide a sample as required, it is considered a doping violation. Such a failure may lead to disciplinary action in accordance with the applicable rules.
The updated 2026 list includes Abhishek Sharma and Axar Patel as new additions. However, compared to the previous list, Shreyas Iyer and Smriti Mandhana are no longer part of the current testing pool. This reflects periodic revisions made by NADA as part of its monitoring and evaluation process.
In addition to the newly included players, several prominent Indian cricketers are part of the testing pool. These include Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh, Tilak Varma, Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma, and Renuka Singh, among others.
A summary of key inclusions and exclusions is presented below:
| Category | Players |
|---|---|
| Newly Included | Abhishek Sharma, Axar Patel |
| Excluded | Shreyas Iyer, Smriti Mandhana |
| Other Notable Names | Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh, Tilak Varma, Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma, Renuka Singh |
Through this registered testing pool, NADA maintains continuous oversight of selected athletes, ensuring compliance with anti-doping regulations and facilitating unannounced testing throughout the year.