Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Indian cueists continued their impressive run at the IBSF World Snooker Championship 2026, with six players, including Madhya Pradesh's Piyush Kushwaha and Kamal Chawla, storming into the main draw at Yashwant Club.
The championship, organised by the Madhya Pradesh Billiards and Snooker Association during the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India's centenary year, witnessed gripping contests stretching late into the night.
PIYUSH SURVIVES SEVEN-FRAME THRILLER
Local favourite Piyush Kushwaha held his nerve to edge compatriot Anurag Giri 4-3, completing three consecutive victories in the first qualifying phase.
Kamal Chawla produced another commanding performance, defeating fellow world champion Laxman Rawat 4-1.
Maharashtra's Krish Gurbaxani beat Ryan Razmi 4-2, while S. Srikrishna overcame Pushpendra Singh 4-1.
Punjab youngster Ranveer Duggal blanked Dhruv Patel 4-0, while Digvijay Kadian survived a tense 4-3 battle against Sri Lanka's Taha Irshad.
HONG KONG PAIR ADVANCE
Hong Kong's Foo Kwok Wai defeated 16-year-old Indian sensation Aarav Sancheti 4-0, while Wang Yuchen beat compatriot Langy Ryan Lee 4-1.
The eight winners — six Indians and two Hong Kong players — secured main-draw berths through the opening qualifying phase.
AARAV FACES SETBACK
In the subsequent qualifying action, Aarav suffered another 4-0 defeat, this time against Langy Ryan Lee, who compiled breaks of 56, 55 and 63.
India's Uzair Khan defeated Bangladesh's Mohammad Al Amin 4-2, producing two 62-point breaks and another of 54.
Paras Gupta, Vijay Nichani and local player Priyank Jaiswal also registered convincing 4-0 victories.
BRIEF RESULTS
Main-draw qualifiers - Piyush Kushwaha beat Anurag Giri 4-3; Kamal Chawla beat Laxman Rawat 4-1; Krish Gurbaxani beat Ryan Razmi 4-2; S Srikrishna beat Pushpendra Singh 4-1; Ranveer Duggal beat Dhruv Patel 4-0; Digvijay Kadian beat Taha Irshad 4-3; Foo Kwok Wai beat Aarav Sancheti 4-0; Wang Yuchen beat Langy Ryan Lee 4-1.
Other results - Abdullah Al-Yousuf beat Anurag Giri 4-1; Uzair Khan beat Mohammad Al Amin 4-2; Paras Gupta beat Altaf Hussain 4-0; Langy Ryan Lee beat Aarav Sancheti 4-0; Vijay Nichani beat Hussain Alawati 4-0; Laxman Rawat beat Pratap Murugesu 4-1; Priyank Jaiswal beat Ahmed Mustafa 4-0.
