Indian Railways to become first Indian team at FIBA Women’s Basketball League Asia in Bengaluru

Indian Railways will become the first Indian club to compete in the FIBA Women’s Basketball League Asia (WBLA), which begins at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru on Tuesday (October 20, 2026), organisers said. The six-day tournament is being hosted in India for the first time after the first two editions were staged in China.

Now in only its third year, the WBLA takes inspiration from the women’s league in the Americas and aims to expand. The competition’s previous winners were Sichuan Yuanda Meile in 2024 and Dongguan New Century in 2025, and Sichuan return to this edition seeking another title.

Sichuan arrive with a notable foreign contingent in Chennedy Carter (USA) and Sara Blicavs (Australia); the team will contest the tournament despite the absence of Han Xu. Yang Yi, Sichuan’s head coach, said: “The atmosphere for basketball is good in China. Our owner is very supportive. We are provided with all the facilities we ask for,” Yi told The Hindu in Bengaluru on Monday (October 19)through a translator.

The six-team field comprises Sichuan Yuanda Meile (Chn); Akari Sports (Phi); Cathay Life Tigers (Tpe); Denso Iris (Jpn); KB Stars (Korea); and Indian Railways (Ind). Five clubs have home-grown coaches, while Denso employ Serbian coach Vladimir Vuksanovic, who is in his fifth year as the club’s head coach and was an assistant coach of the Serbian women’s national team from 2016 to 2021.

Vuksanovic said: “We know the competition. China plays basketball at a very high level. They have very good foreign players. I want to build a young team from Japan with assistance from foreigners,” said the 54-year-old, who was an assistant coach of the Serbian women’s national team from 2016 to 2021. He also expressed a desire for the WBLA to expand in the manner of the East Asia Super League.

Indian Railways’ head coach Anita Pauldurai outlined preparation and squad composition, saying: “We had a weeklong camp, which was too short. But still, we have prepared quite well. The WBLA will be good exposure for us. It’s a huge challenge. We will implement our strategies,” said Anita, who highlighted the urgent need for a National League to identify fresh young talent. Railways will include one Sudanese player among their two permitted foreign recruits.

Railways’ opening match is against Denso Iris on Tuesday (October 20) at 7 p.m. The tournament format advances the top two teams from each group into the semifinals.