Asian Games: India’s men's and women's kabaddi teams start title defence on September 21
India's men's and women's kabaddi teams will begin their Asian Games title defence on September 21 at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium, with both sides aiming to repeat the gold-medal double they achieved at Hangzhou 2022. The competition runs from September 21 to 26.
The tournament features 10 men's teams and eight women's teams and uses a round-robin group stage followed by semi-finals and gold medal matches. India's men are in Group A with hosts Japan, Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei and Bangladesh while Group B contains Iran, Nepal, Thailand, Pakistan and Malaysia; the draw keeps India and Iran apart until a potential men's final. India's women are in Group A with Iran, Japan and Bangladesh, and Group B includes Chinese Taipei, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Nepal; unlike the men, the women's schedule has India meeting Iran in the group stage on September 23.
Iran are identified in the squad preview as India's principal challenger and are the only nation besides India to have won Asian Games gold in both men's and women's kabaddi. Iran ended India's seven-edition winning run in men's kabaddi at Jakarta 2018, and the Iranian women beat India 27-24 in the women's final at the same Games. At Hangzhou 2022 India reclaimed the men's title by defeating Iran, and the women's team won a tight final 26-25 over Chinese Taipei.
Chinese Taipei have since emerged as one of the leading women's teams outside India and Iran, while Bangladesh and the Republic of Korea, both multiple Asian Games medallists, are listed as stern tests for India's men. Hosts Japan will play India in the men's opening match, carrying home support into that fixture.
India men's head coach Balwan Singh is described as bringing considerable experience, having won 14 international gold medals; his achievements include all three of India's men's Kabaddi World Cup titles in 2004, 2007 and 2016. He will be assisted by BC Ramesh, who has won the Pro Kabaddi League twice, with Bengal Warriorz in Season 7 and Puneri Paltan in Season 10. Singh said: "We don't consider any opponent to be weak. If 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," and added that the message in the dressing room was to respect every opponent, regardless of the scoreline.
The women's side will be aiming for a fourth Asian Games gold in five appearances and have medalled at every edition in which they have competed, winning gold in 2010, 2014 and 2022 and silver in 2018. Pushpa Rana will lead the team, with Sonali Shingate expected to play a key role and Sanju Devi, the MVP of the 2025 Women's Kabaddi World Cup, included in the squad. Coached by Neeta Dadwe and Mamtha Poojari, the women's management view Iran and Chinese Taipei as the main challenges: "Iran and Chinese Taipei are the teams we're watching most closely," Poojari said, and she pointed to Iran's ability to maintain a high tempo throughout the 40 minutes as a particular challenge. The scheduling gives the women's defending champions a group-stage meeting with Iran on September 23 and the possibility of encountering Chinese Taipei in the semi-finals or final, while the men's draw prevents an India–Iran clash before the summit match.
India's first-day fixtures are Men vs Japan (9:45 AM IST) and Women vs Bangladesh (4:15 PM IST) on September 21; Men vs Republic of Korea (7:15 AM IST) on September 22; Women vs Iran (8:30 AM IST) and Men vs Bangladesh (9:45 AM IST) on September 23; Men vs Chinese Taipei (9:45 AM IST) and Women vs Japan (4:15 PM IST) on September 24. The semi-finals are scheduled for September 25 — Women's semi-final 1 (9:30 AM IST), Men's semi-final 1 (10:45 AM IST), Women's semi-final 2 (2:30 PM IST), Men's semi-final 2 (3:45 PM IST) — with the Women's final at 9:30 AM IST and the Men's final at 2:30 PM IST on September 26.
