Shubhankar Sharma, Anirban Lahiri to lead Indian challenge at DP World India Championship 2026

Home heroes Shubhankar Sharma and Anirban Lahiri will once again lead Indian hopes when they join the global field gathering for the second edition of the DP World India Championship.

The multiple DP World Tour and international winners will join a host of stars – including defending champion Tommy Fleetwood, Career Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy and newly crowned Open Champion Ryan Fox – in the highly-anticipated $4,000,000 event at Delhi Golf Club from October 15-18.

Sharma became the youngest India player to win on the DP World Tour when he claimed the Joburg Open title in December 2017, aged just 21. He lifted a second trophy two months later after carding a sublime final round of 62 to win the Maybank Championship and capped off the season by claiming the 2018 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award and topping the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

The 30-year-old has also recorded six wins on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and represented India at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Sharma said: “It was a very special to play in the inaugural DP World India Championship at Delhi Golf Club last season, and I’m very much looking forward to returning this October.

“Having such an incredible field coming back to India for the second edition of this tournament says a lot about the continued growth of the game in our country, and it provides a great platform for the many talented Indian players competing at the moment.”

Lahiri also counts two DP World Tour titles amongst his 18 international victories, with the most recent coming on home soil at the 2015 Hero Indian Open, when he won in dramatic fashion after coming from seven shots back to defeat S.S.P Chawrasia in a play-off.

He became the first Indian player to play in the Presidents Cup – going on to represent the International Team in 2015 and 2017 – and is a two-time Olympian, competing for India at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

He topped the PGTI Order of Merit in 2009 and the Asian Tour equivalent in 2015 and was twice voted Asian Tour Players’ Player of the Year.

Lahiri said: “It’s always enjoyable to get the chance to play in India, so it’s great to be involved in the second edition of the DP World India Championship.

“Delhi Golf Club is such an iconic venue and showed that last season, so we’ll be aiming to put on a show for our home fans at this historic course.”

Global smart logistics provider DP World and the DP World Tour launched the DP World India Championship in 2025. Co-sanctioned with the PGTI, the tournament features the largest prize fund ever offered for a DP World Tour event in India and will once again take its place as part of the crucial Back 9 phase of the Race to Dubai.

The stellar field gathering for the DP World India Championship this October includes Major winners McIlroy, Fox, Shane Lowry and Justin Rose, European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald and Ryder Cup stars Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland.

Hemant Kumar Ruia, Country Manager Subcontinent (India), DP World, said, “Shubhankar and Anirban will be the home heroes of this Championship, and we know Indian fans will come out in force to watch them tee it up alongside the likes of Rory, Tommy and the rest of this world-class field. India is one of our most important markets, and one we’re proud to be part of as it grows, both on and off the course. We can’t wait to see the DP World India Championship return to Delhi Golf Club this October.”

The launch of the second edition of the DP World India Championship underscores India’s growing influence as a destination for elite golf and as a strategic market for DP World. The new tournament follows the success of the long-running Hero Indian Open and further boosts the Tour’s momentum in the region.

As the Tour’s title partner since 2022, and after becoming the Title and Official Umbrella Partner of the PGTI earlier this year, the tournament complements DP World’s broader sporting footprint in India, which includes partnerships with the Delhi Capitals, and grassroots programmes like the Second Life Container initiative and ‘Balls for Birdies’ campaign – both of which involve DP World donating golf balls, using its smart logistics network, to help grow the game and make it more accessible.

The DP World India Championship will be the eighth of nine events in the Back 9 phase of the 2026 Race to Dubai, building towards the season-ending DP World Tour Play-Offs and culminating in the DP World Tour Championship in November at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.

Tickets for the DP World India Championship will be on sale soon via District by Zomato. Fans can register their interest to secure a 30% discount on General Admission tickets as part of the Early Bird Promotion.