The men’s team has been drawn alongside Bangladesh, Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei and Japan in Group A, whereas the women’s team will face powerhouse Iran, Japan and Bangladesh.
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Indian players celebrate after winning the gold medal in the Kabaddi event at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou on Saturday, October 07, 2023(Photo: IANS/Seshadri Sukumar)
The Indian men’s and women’s teams will be out with a clear and simple objective, which is to defend the Kabaddi gold medal they won in the previous Asian Games edition in Hangzhou three years agoIndia will enter as straight favorites to finish on top of the podium when the upcoming 2026 edition of the continental games begins later this month.
Kabaddi is a huge medal prospect for the Indian side, which is looking stronger than everThe ecosystem of the sport in the country is massive and since the standards are so high, winning a gold medal is literally bare minimum.
India’s dominance in the competition is such that they have won at least a Bronze in the last five editionsThe men’s team has won a total of eight golds while the women’s side has won three of the last four gold medals on offer.
The training camps have already kicked-off and both the teams will get to work from September 21 onwardsKabaddi at the 2026 Asian Games 2026 will end on September 26 with all matches taking place at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium in the city of Aichi, which is co-hosting the games with Nagoya in Japan.
The men’s team will kickstart their campaign on September 21 against Japan from 6:00AM (IST) onwards before the women’s team clashes against Bangladesh from 12:30PM onwardsIt will be crucial for both the teams to get off to a solid start and carry that momentum into the competition.
The men’s team has been drawn alongside Bangladesh, Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei and Japan in Group A, whereas the women’s team will face powerhouse Iran, Japan and Bangladesh.
When it comes to the squad formation, the men will be without most of the players who were a part of the gold medal winning at Hangzhou with only four making the cutEight of the 12-man squad will feature in their first-ever Asian Games edition with Pro Kabaddi League season 12’s best raiders Ayan Lochab (316 raid pts) and Devank Dalal (271 raid pts) being placed alongside experienced names like Arjun Deshwal and Ashu Malik.
Pawan Sehrawat and Aslam Inamdar will add more experience to the sideAs for the women’s team, Ritu Negi will lead the side and find Pushpa Rana as her deputySonali Shingate is the only third player retained from the 2022 gold medal winning side.
Indian Kabaddi team’s schedule for Asian Games 2026
| Date | Team | Opponent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Sep | Men | Japan | 6:00 AM IST |
| 21 Sep | Women | Bangladesh | Evening, from 12:30 PM IST |
| 22 Sep | Men | Republic of Korea | Morning, from 6:00 AM IST |
| 23 Sep | Men | Bangladesh | Morning, from 6:00 AM IST |
| 23 Sep | Women | Iran | Morning, from 6:00 AM IST |
| 24 Sep | Men | Chinese Taipei | Morning, from 6:00 AM IST |
| 24 Sep | Women | Japan | Evening, from 12:30 PM IST |
| 25 Sep | Men & Women | Semi Final – 1 | Morning, from 9:30 AM IST |
| 25 Sep | Men & Women | Semi Final – 2 | Evening, from 2:30 PM IST |
| 26 Sep | Women | Final | Morning, from 9:30 AM IST |
| 26 Sep | Men | Final | Evening, from 2:30 PM IST |
Indian Kabaddi team’s squads for Asian Games 2026
Men’s team: Ashu Malik, Ayan Lohchab, Devank Dalal, Arjun Deshwal, Sunil Kumar, Jaideep Dahiya, Rahul Sethpal, Gaurav Khatri, Sumit Sangwan, Ankit Jaglan, Pawan Sehrawat and Aslam Inamdar.
Women’s team: Ritu Negi, Pushpa Rana, Sonali Shingate, Sanju Devi, Pooja Kajla, Ritu Sheoran, Jyoti Thakur, Pinki Roy, Manisha Kumari, Bhavna Thakur, Rajrani and Nikita Kumari.
When and where to watch?
Kabaddi at the Asian Games 2026 will begin from September 21 onwards and end on 26All the matches will be streamed live on the Sony LIV app/website as well as the Sony Sports network.
