A medal… that Indian volleyball waited years for. Today, that dream finally came true. Team India has created history at the AVC Men’s Volleyball Cup 2026. By defeating defending champions Bahrain, India claimed the bronze medal — and this is the country’s first-ever medal in the history of the AVC Men’s Volleyball Cup.
In this tournament, Team India won 6 out of 7 matches, showcasing world-class volleyball against some of Asia’s strongest teams. Credit for this historic journey goes to Coach Dragan Mihailovic, the entire support staff, and every player who never gave up. This isn’t just a bronze medal… it’s the beginning of a new era for Indian volleyball. Just like cricket, volleyball deserves that same love and attention. If you’re proud of Indian sports, please share this — so that every household hears the news that Team India has made history. Jai Hind! India’s Anand Kottarathil also won the Best Libero of the Tournament award at the AVC Men’s Cup 2026 — much deserved!
Volleyball Can Grow Just Like Cricket Did
Volleyball is the only sport that can grow the way cricket has grown in India, and make just as big an impact. There are certain reasons why I say that. Just like cricket, every kid plays volleyball in their childhood — even in village areas, we’ve seen entire communities playing the game. But the problem has always been the lack of structure. That’s why so many talented players leave the sport early. The only way to fix this is proper structure and guidance at every level, so more kids don’t just play volleyball for fun but also build real careers out of it. This kind of transformation only happens when the sport performs well on the big stage — exactly like what we just saw at the AVC Men’s Volleyball Cup. The team won 6 out of 7 matches and brought home the bronze medal, and that performance alone got everyone talking about volleyball again. During the tournament, we saw fully packed stadiums in Ahmedabad simply because the team performed well. That’s the real lesson here: performance drives everything. When Team India plays well, we see real growth in the sport.
The Bigger Picture: PVL, Asian Games, CWG 2030, and the Road Ahead
We already have our own league, the Prime Volleyball League, and this season is shaping up to be its biggest and most impactful season yet. If this team keeps performing at this level over the next five years — winning medals at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and World Cup, and by any chance even an Olympic medal — then Indian volleyball will truly explode onto the world stage. And we have everything in place to make this happen. In 2030, India will host the Commonwealth Games, and volleyball is included as one of the sports. This is the biggest opportunity yet for our volleyball team and for the Government of India to make this sport big and impactful on the world stage. Starting July 1st, the World Cup qualifiers begin as well, and Team India now has to qualify for the World Cup and make a mark there too.
The Indian volleyball team is the perfect example for every sport in India.
Play with heart, give everything on the court, and the fans will always stand behind you. Give people a reason to believe, and they’ll fill the stadiums and cheer for you every single time. As fans, that’s all we ask for — good results, 100% effort, and passion for the Indian jersey. Here’s hoping this momentum continues and Indian volleyball dominates the game the same way we’ve dominated cricket. Wishing the team a bright future ahead.
Jai Hind!