Indian tennis player Parikshit Somani was banned for 4 years in a doping scandal

Indian tennis player Parikshit Somani has been banned for four years after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine at the ATP Challenger tournament in Astana, Kazakhstan last year.

The 26-year-old Somani, who reached a career-high doubles ranking of No. 256, provided a urine sample during the tournament on July 31, 2025. The sample tested positive for trimetazidine, a substance banned at all times by the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list.

“An independent tribunal has suspended Indian tennis player Parikshit Somani for four years under tennis’ anti-doping rules,” the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said.

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Somani was provisionally suspended on September 23, 2025, and the four-year ban period will run until September 2029. The tribunal also disqualified his results from the Astana event and results obtained until September 23, 2025, with the loss of ranking points, prize money and other related awards.

SOMANI FOOD CONTAMINATION DEFENSE DENIED

Somani tried to explain the adverse finding by claiming that trimetazidine had entered his system through food prepared by a family member. In late 2025, while temporarily suspended, he entered ITIA’s Player Support Program to investigate possible sources of contamination. However, the products he identified tested negative for trimetazidine at a WADA-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City, USA.

“In late 2025, while under suspension, Somani entered the ITIA Player Support Program to investigate various potential sources of contamination, but the products tested negative for trimetazidine at a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City, USA,” ITIA said.

In February 2026, Somani presented his explanation of the food contamination that formed the basis of his defense at the hearing before the independent tribunal on 19 August.

“This formed the basis of Somani’s explanation at the hearing before the independent tribunal on 19 August 2026,” ITIA said.

The tribunal considered the expert scientific opinions submitted by both Somani and ITIA before rejecting the proposed contamination mechanisms. He concluded that the theories were “scientifically implausible”, “highly speculative” and “unconvincing”.

The tribunal also ruled that Somani had failed to establish the source of the banned substance found in his sample. As a result, it found that no mitigating circumstances applied and imposed the mandatory four-year suspension under tennis’ anti-doping rules.

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Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

23 Sep 2026 23:42 IST