The 2022 edition of the Commonwealth Games will take place in England's second-most populated city, Birmingham. In the 22nd edition of the multi-sporting event, India will make its 18th appearance and as many as 215 Indian athletes will take part, of which 111 are men and 104 are women. India will field athletes in 19 different sports this time around and will hope to better the last edition's medal tally.
In the 2018 games, India won a total of 66 medals-26 Gold, 20 Silver, and 20 Bronze. 16 of those medals came in shooting, which won't be a part of the games this time around. The absence of shooting is already a big jolt and, above that, a few Indian players who ended with a yellow metal will also not be seen for various reasons. Here's a look at five prominent Indian athletes who'll miss action in Birmingham.
NEERAJ CHOPRA
Neeraj Chopra, a Tokyo Olympics Gold medalist and ace javelin thrower, will be unable to defend his CWG title. The 24-year-old has pulled out of the mega event due to a groin strain he developed during his recent historic second-place finish in the Athletics World Championships in Eugene. The first Indian track and field athlete to win a medal in the Olympics, that too Gold, was supposed to be India's biggest medal hope, but now he'll be cheering for his fellow Indian teammates from outside. He was set to be India's flagbearer as well in the opening ceremony.
MC MARY KOM
The most decorated woman in amateur boxing history is another high-profile name that is missing from this year's Commonwealth Games. The 39-year-old from Manipur, who has a record number of eight medals in World Championships, which includes six Golds, besides a historic Bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics, is the defending champion in the light flyweight (48kg) category, but this time she won't defend her title. Her bid to compete in Birmingham ended in heartbreak when she was forced to withdraw midway from the selection trials due to a knee injury.
SAINA NEHWAL
Saina Nehwal, a two-time Commonwealth Games Gold medallist and former world number one shuttler, will not feature in the Birmingham games as she has not been able to qualify for the squad. She skipped the national selection trials that took place earlier this year. Nehwal is one of India's most decorated badminton players of all time. Besides her success in the CWG, she is also India's first badminton player to win an Olympic medal. The 32-year-old won the Bronze medal in the 2012 London Games.
MANU BHAKER
At her maiden Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, 16-year-old Manu made headlines for her record-breaking Gold medal win in the 10m air pistol event. In that same year, she went on to win the yellow metal in the Youth Olympics as well. She continued her ace form to win 15 Gold medals at various top-level events like the World Cup, ISSF Junior World Championships, etc. But she won't feature in Birmingham as shooting has been excluded from the 2022 games. In the previous edition, Indian shooters won 16 medals, and the exclusion of the sport will surely hamper India's standings.
RANI RAMPAL
Rani is one of the most popular women's hockey players of current times. But the Indian captain will not be seen in action in the English city this time because she is recovering from an injury and is yet to regain full fitness. Under Rani's leadership, India managed to secure a historic fourth-place finish in the Tokyo Olympics last year. Rani also missed the Women's World Cup, which took place earlier this month. Her absence will be a big miss for Team India as she is one of the best players in the world.