Nitin Kumar heading back to the World Cup of Darts! Indian history-maker's partner also confirmed

Nitin Kumar and Ankit Goenka will represent India at the World Cup of Darts in June, after qualifying last weekend in Kolkata through a qualifying tournament.

Kumar won two of the three qualifiers, securing his spot in Frankfurt, where he is set for his third appearance at the national team world championship.

The 40-year-old became the first Indian player in December to win a match at the World Darts Championship, and he reinforced his status as the country’s top player with a series of dominant displays on home soil.

Kumar powered to victory in Saturday’s opening event, dropping just four legs across six matches and defeating Goenka 5-1 to claim the title.

“The Royal Bengal” won qualification for event two in similarly impressive fashion, conceding only three legs all tournament and whitewashing Vikehelie Suohu 5-0 to make it two titles.

Aayush Kothari then wrapped up the weekend by winning the third qualifier, beating Goenka 5-2 in Sunday’s final.

However, it proved insufficient for Kothari to finish second in the standings. That honor went to Goenka after reaching two finals and a semi-final across the three qualifiers.

This will be India’s fifth appearance at the World Cup of Darts. The Asian nation has never progressed beyond the first round. In 2014, 2015, and 2025, Kumar played with Amit Gilitwala, Ashfaque Sayed, and Mohan Goel respectively. In between, Prakash Jiwa and Amit Gilitwala represented their country in 2023.

The 2026 World Cup of Darts takes place from 06/11/2026 to 06/14/2026 in Frankfurt. A total of 40 pairs will compete for the title. Northern Ireland are the defending champions, after Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney proved too strong in last year’s final for the Welsh duo Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton.