When the 81st National Squash Championships begins in New Delhi on August 23, a former record holder for most national singles titles will be watching from the stands as the player who broke her record takes to the court.
Retired Delhi-based Bhuvneshwari Kumari, who held the previous record of 16 consecutive titles, will be keeping an eye on Joshna Chinappa, the current record holder with 18 titles. Bhuvneshwari will also be curious to see whether current India No 1 Anahat Singh — the teenage sensation sweeping all before her — can one day surpass Joshna’s tally.
Bhuvneshwari won 16 consecutive national titles between 1976 and 1991. Now secretary of the Squash Association of Delhi, she is content to watch from the sidelines. Joshna, who has been managing injuries in recent years, has reportedly recovered and will compete at the Nationals.
“That’s correct, she has recovered and will play in Delhi,” said Cyrus Poncha, secretary of the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI). “All the top players are coming to the Delhi Nationals. I don’t have the list handy right now, but over 350 entries have been confirmed.”
The singles-only tournament will be played across six courts at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. Doubles and mixed doubles nationals are held separately.
A rare meeting of three generations
The championship will bring together champions from three successive generations — 64-year-old Padma Shri awardee Bhuvneshwari, 38-year-old Joshna, and 17-year-old Anahat.
Anahat has already shown that she is ready to take the baton forward, even as Joshna, despite her injuries, refuses to step aside. A potential clash between the two at the Nationals would be a sight to behold.
In March, Anahat won the Indian Open 2025 — the first ever Professional Squash Association (PSA) Copper event held in India — in Mumbai. She defeated Hong Kong’s Helen Tang 11-9, 11-5, 11-8 in just 24 minutes. The week before, she had claimed the SRFI Indian Tour PSA Challenger tournament in Chennai.
Having first announced her arrival with gold in the under-11 category of the prestigious British Open in 2019, Anahat went on to win two bronze medals — in the women’s team and mixed doubles — at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. She has won the last two national titles, and another victory in Delhi would complete a hat-trick in her home city.
“She’s the most promising kid coming up. She’s doing extremely well in both the international and Indian circuits. I think she’ll go far, also because age is on her side,” Bhuvneshwari told Patriot.
With squash making its Olympic debut at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, Anahat, who would be 20 by then, is seen as India’s best medal prospect.
A family steeped in sport
The Nationals will also be a moment of nostalgia for Bhuvneshwari’s family, steeped in sporting achievement.
Bhuvneshwari’s father, 85-year-old Yashwant Singh, has held numerous administrative posts, including president of the World Bicycle Polo Federation and its Indian affiliate. Her elder brother, Yogendra Singh, is a former India squash player, qualified referee, and coach who may be conducting appraisals at the Nationals. Her younger sister, Sohini Kumari, is a former India tennis ace.
Bhuvneshwari won her last national title in Delhi in 1991, when matches were held on non-glass courts at the Delhi Gymkhana. This year, the championship will be staged at the all-glass courts of the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
Yogendra was the first Indian referee approved by the World Squash Federation (1996) and the first qualified Indian coach. He represented India at the World Squash Championships in Karachi (1978, 1980) and competed in the Singapore Open, Malaysian Open, and Asian Squash Championships, besides winning the Great Western Cup and Hyder Cup in New York City in 1984.
“I am a World Squash Officiating appraiser. So, I might be doing some appraisals of our national and regional referees during the Nationals,” Yogendra told Patriot.
In the 2010 Commonwealth Games, all four members of the family played roles: Yashwant was on the organising committee, Yogendra was tournament referee, Bhuvneshwari served as deputy competition manager, and Sohini as sports manager for squash.
Sohini, who represented India in the Federation Cup, won tennis gold at the 1991 South Asian Federation Games in Colombo and was national doubles champion for six consecutive years (1989–1995).
The bridge-builder of Indian sport
Yashwant Singh, a former chairman of the Athletes’ Commission of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and Director of the Arjuna Awardees’ Association, was often the vital link between retired athletes, the IOA, and the sports ministry.
His polite, cultured approach helped resolve numerous issues faced by former athletes. Many expressed gratitude for his efforts, including former India cricket captain Bishan Singh Bedi, who wrote in August 2005: “Thank you ever so much, Yashwant bhai, for your kind help. In fact, the Arjuna Awardees’ Association is alive only because of your selfless and tireless efforts and services. Keep up the good work.”
Other sporting legends who wrote to him include athlete Milkha Singh, tennis great Ramanathan Krishnan, 1948 Olympic hockey gold medallist Leo Pinto, cricket captain Ajit Wadekar, and multiple world billiards champion Geet Sethi.
More squash action ahead
Delhi, which has produced several accomplished squash players, will host another major event after the Nationals — a PSA Challenger in January 2026.
“With infrastructure being enhanced in the Capital, and with players like Anahat inspiring others, Delhi can produce many more champions,” said Bhuvneshwari. “The Nationals are going to be good for Delhi’s youngsters. They will learn so much by just watching the top players in action and it will encourage them. The Nationals will be really good publicity as it will be covered in the newspapers and there will be live streaming as well.”
