Asian Games 2026: India’s men’s and women’s kabaddi teams begin their title defence on September 21Check groups, schedule, key opponents and match details.
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India’s men’s and women’s kabaddi teams will begin their Asian Games 2026 title defence in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan(Photo: IANS)
India’s men’s and women’s kabaddi teams will begin their Asian Games 2026 campaigns on September 21, with both sides entering the tournament as defending championsThe kabaddi competition will be held at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium from September 21 to 26.
India won both kabaddi gold medals at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou and will now look to defend those titles in Aichi-NagoyaThe men will open their campaign against hosts Japan, while the women will face Bangladesh in their first match.
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India men drawn with Japan and South Korea
The Indian men’s team has been placed in Group A alongside Japan, South Korea, Chinese Taipei and BangladeshIran, Nepal, Thailand, Pakistan and Malaysia make up Group B.
This means India and Iran will not meet during the group stageIran remains one of the major teams in Asian kabaddi and was responsible for ending India’s long run of men’s gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games.
India returned to the top at Hangzhou, where the men defeated Iran in the final to reclaim the gold medal.
Head coach Balwan Singh will guide the Indian team in Japan, with BC Ramesh serving as assistant coachSingh has 14 international gold medals as a coach, including three Kabaddi World Cup titles.
Speaking about India’s approach, Singh said: “We don’t consider any opponent to be weakIf we make a mistake somewhere, the opponent becomes heavier, so the focus has to be on making the fewest possible errors over the full 40 minutes.”
India women face Iran in group stage
The women’s team has been drawn in Group A alongside Iran, Japan and BangladeshGroup B features Chinese Taipei, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Nepal.
Unlike the men, India’s women will face Iran during the group stage itselfThe two teams are scheduled to meet on September 23.
India’s women won gold at the 2010, 2014 and 2022 Asian Games, while they took silver in 2018Pushpa Rana will lead the team, with Sonali Shingate as vice-captainSanju Devi, the MVP of the 2025 Women’s Kabaddi World Cup, is also part of the squad.
Assistant coach Mamtha Poojari said: “Iran and Chinese Taipei are the teams we’re watching most closely.”
Asian Games 2026 Kabaddi Schedule
The group stage will run from September 21 to 24, followed by the semi-finals on September 25The men’s and women’s gold medal matches will be played on September 26.
- September 21: Men vs Japan – 9:45 AM IST; Women vs Bangladesh – 4:15 PM IST
- September 22: Men vs South Korea – 7:15 AM IST
- September 23: Women vs Iran – 8:30 AM IST; Men vs Bangladesh – 9:45 AM IST
- September 24: Men vs Chinese Taipei – 9:45 AM IST; Women vs Japan – 4:15 PM IST
- September 25: Women’s SF1 – 9:30 AM IST; Men’s SF1 – 10:45 AM IST; Women’s SF2 – 2:30 PM IST; Men’s SF2 – 3:45 PM IST
- September 26: Women’s Final – 9:30 AM IST; Men’s Final – 2:30 PM IST
