Don't expect medal rush: Why India could be in for a quiet CWG 2026

India has been amongst the medal when it comes to the Commonwealth Games in recent times, but this time the excitement has been watered down. A reduced roster of events and with some historic medal-winning events missing, India could be in for a quiet outing in Glasgow this year.India maybe in for a quiet CWG 2026 (Courtesy: India Today)Whenever the Commonwealth Games roll around the corner, there is always an excitement when India is about to mount its charge for medals. And why wouldn't it be the case? India have been one of the most consistent nations at the games in recent times, often challenging the best right at the top.COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2026: FULL SCHEDULEIn 2022, India came back home with 61 medals, adding to its overall kitty. Of these, 22 were gold, 16 silver, and 23 bronze medals. This took India's overall CWG tally to 564, with 203 gold, 190 silver and 171 bronze medals. The buildup also always seemed exciting, as some of the best athletes traveled to showcase their talent on the grand stage. (Credit: India Today) But this time, everything seemed to be a little bit quiet. If you're wondering where PV Sindhu is, she was competing in the China Open alongside some of badminton's big names. The Indian hockey teams are preparing for the men's and women's hockey World Cups, respectively, while there will be no shooting contingent that won't also be making the trip to Glasgow, Scotland.INDIA AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2022Of the 61 medals won by India in Birmingham, Wrestling brought in 12 medals. This meant that all 12 wrestlers brought home medals. Badminton brought in six medals, including three gold. Table tennis accounted for seven medals during the Birmingham edition, while hockey brought in two and cricket one. So that's a total of 28 from the 61 medals brought in by just five sporting disciplines. And this time around, all of these events won't be there.Adding to this, one of India's biggest medal-winning events, shooting, will be absent from the games. Shooting has accounted for 135 of India's 564 medals at CWG, but it has been off the games since 2018.WHY DID EVENTS FOR CWG 2026 GET CUTWhile there were 19 events in the previous edition, this time around, it has been reduced to just 10. The alteration was made after Victoria (Australia) decided to withdraw as the host of the games due to the ballooning costs. This forced Glasgow to step in as the saviour, but with a drastically reduced budget and with a streamlined format. India at CWG 2022 (Credit: India Today) The cuts meant that some of India's main medal hopes would have to stay at home and watch from a distance. Wrestling has accounted for 114 of India's total medals in CWG, with badminton bringing in 31.Table tennis has been a source of joy with 28 medals in total, while the current hockey teams would have been in contention for podium finishes.GLASGOW CWG 2026: EVENTS3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Wheelchair BasketballArtistic GymnasticsAthletics and Para AthleticsBowls and Para BowlsBoxingJudoNetballSwimming and Para SwimmingTrack Cycling and Para Track CyclingWeightlifting and Para PowerliftingIS ALL HOPE LOST FOR INDIA?Well, the answer to this will be no. India will come into the CWG 2026 with a strong athletics contingent that is ready to set the stage on fire.The world-class events will lead the charge with Neeraj Chopra looking for gold in javelin. Long-jumper Murali Sreeshankar will be a solid contender for securing a medal alongside some of the biggest prospects in triple jump and high jump. Neeraj will be hoping to secure gold in javelin (Courtesy: PTI) Distance runners Parul Chaudhary and Gulveer Singh can also bring in success for India. Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur will keep their fight for the title of the fastest Indian away and look to make the country proud in the 100m and 200m events respectively.The onus then will be on weightlifting, which is expected to be a big source of medals in Glasgow. The main star will be defending CWG champion and Tokyo Olympics medallist Mirabhai Chanu, who will compete in the women's 48kg category. Bindyarani Devi, Ajaya Babu, and Gyaneshwari Yadav will be helping Chanu in the medal rush in weightlifting. Can Mirabhai Chanu bring home another gold? (Courtesy: PTI) Boxing will also be a pillar of India's medal hopes at CWG this year. Led by the legendary Lovlina Borgohain and reigning World Champion Jaismine Lamboria, many of the Indian stars will enter the women's divisions as top seeds.The Lawn Bowls teams made history last time around with a gold and a silver, with Pinki, Rupa Rani Tirkey and Dinesh Kumar expected to lead the charge.Judo can also be a source of excitement for the fans as the Indian judokas got three medals last time around, and they will be chasing a historic gold.The para-athletics will also be a source of hope but the same medal rush may not be there this time around. With some of the big medal events being cut, India may struggle to breach the 30-medal mark this time around, which would be their worst performance since 1998.- EndsPublished On: Jul 23, 2026 10:36 IST