Indian Athletics Series-6: Sreeshankar, Vishal TK, Baranica Lead Star-Studded Field In Tamil Nadu

The Indian Athletics Series-6 will be held on April 10 at the JLN Stadium in Chennai. The meet serves as one of the key competitions ahead of the Federation Cup, which will be the final qualification event for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

myKhel takes a look at some of the biggest names set to compete at the event.

1). MURALI SREESHANKAR (MEN'S LONG JUMP)

The in-form Indian long jumper is in brilliant form this season. In his last competition, Murali Sreeshankar clinched the long jump title at the inaugural Simbine Classic with a best jump of 8.12m.

Before this competition, Murali Sreeshankar started his 2026 season at the Indian Athletics Series - 1 in Bengaluru, where he finished first with a best jump of 8.15m.

In that competition, the Asian medallist crossed the 8m mark five times in six jumps. He also came very close to another 8m jump, recording 7.99m in his second attempt.

His jump series:

• 8.09m (1st)
• 7.99m (2nd)
• 8.13m (3rd)
• 8.15m (4th)
• 8.12m (5th)
• 8.10m (6th)

Only two Indian long jumpers have crossed the 8m mark in 2026, Lokesh Sathyanathan (8.21m) and Murali Sreeshankar (8.15m).

Murali Sreeshankar will face competition from Anurag CV, the U-23 national champion, who was also one of the three Indians to cross the 8m mark last year. This will be Anurag's second competition of the season. Another challenger will be David P, the 2025 Inter-State champion.

2). PRAVEEN CHITRAVEL (MEN'S TRIPLE JUMP)

National record holder Praveen Chithravel will look to regain his form in Tamil Nadu when he competes in the men's triple jump.

The Asian Games medallist started his 2026 season at the Asian Indoor Championships in Tianjin, where he finished fourth with a best jump of 16.22m.

After that, he participated in the Indian Open Jumps in Bengaluru, where he finished second with a best jump of 16.78m. His last competition was the National Indoor Championships in Bhubaneswar, where he competed in the men's long jump, and the competition in Tamil Nadu will be his fourth competition of the 2026 season.

Last year, Praveen Chithravel crossed the 17m mark in two out of his first three competitions, but this year he is yet to breach the 17m mark.

The World University Games medallist has already breached the Asian Games qualification mark of 16.28m, but he is yet to cross the Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 16.89m.

3). VISHAL TK (MEN'S 400M)

India's new 400m sensation, Vishal TK, will once again aim to better the national record mark of 45.12s in Tamil Nadu. Over the last one and a half years, no Indian athlete has run sub-46 more times than Vishal, achieving the feat six times.

He began his 2026 season at the National Open Relay Carnival in Chandigarh as part of the 4x400m relay team. He then competed in the Indian Athletics Series-1 in Bengaluru, where he participated in the 200m event.

Vishal opened his individual 400m season at the Indian Athletics Series-3 in New Delhi, clocking 45.44s to finish first. His most recent competition was the World Athletics Relays in Botswana, where India's men's 4x100m relay team was disqualified under TR 24.7 for passing the baton outside the takeover zone.

The Asian Championships medallist has already breached the Asian Games qualification standard of 45.97s. However, the Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 44.96s remains a huge challenge for Indian quarter-milers, as no Indian athlete has broken the 45-second barrier so far.

4). TEJAS SHIRSE (MEN'S 110M HURDLES)

India's 110m hurdles national record holder Tejas Shirse is set to return to competition at Indian Series-6 on May 10, 2026, after recovering from injury.

Tejas will begin his outdoor season after opening his 2026 campaign indoors earlier this year before suffering the injury. His last major competition appearance came at the 2025 World Championships.

The national record holder will aim to breach the Asian Games qualification mark of 13.63s, a target well within his reach. However, to achieve the Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 13.39s, Tejas will need to better his own national record of 13.41s.

Interestingly, the gold medal-winning time at the last Asian Games was exactly equal to India's current national record.

5). BARANICA ELANGOVAN (WOMEN'S POLE VAULT)

Another Indian athlete who is in great form in 2026 is Baranica Elangovan. A few days ago, she added 1cm to her own women's pole vault national record at the Indian Indoor Open Combined Events and Pole Vault 2026 meet at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The 29-year-old cleared 4.23m to top the field.

This was the second time the Kalinga Stadium proved to be a lucky venue for Baranica this year. Back in March, she had broken Rosy Meena Paulraj's previous national record of 4.21m, set in 2022.

Can we see another national record from Baranica in Tamil Nadu?