Deepak Sankar named standby in India men's kabaddi squad for Asian Games 2026

Deepak Sankar has been included as a standby player in the Indian men's kabaddi team for the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) announced on Friday. The addition follows public questions after his initial omission from the 12-member squad for the continental event.

The announcement comes with the Asian Games now less than a month away and amid high expectations for India in kabaddi, a sport the report describes as India’s most successful by winning percentage. The 12-player selection drew scrutiny because several names expected to be in the squad — including Naveen Kumar, Deepak Sankar, Shubham Shinde and Surjeet Singh — were not named to the main roster.

Tamil Nadu left-corner defender Deepak Sankar was cited for strong form over the past 12 months, recording 64 points in 19 matches and earning the ‘Best Emerging Player’ award in Pro Kabaddi League Season 12. The report adds he maintained his form in the senior Nationals while representing Tamil Nadu and contributed to state wins.

Selectors opted for the combination of Ankit Jaglan and Sumit Sangwan in the final 12, a choice that prompted the Tamil Nadu Kabaddi Association to write to AKFI seeking clarification. In response, AKFI said Deepak had been selected as a standby and stated that the selection process involved all head coaches and concerned officials during the trials.

AKFI further said the chosen squad was selected with overall team needs in mind. The federation’s swift clarification was framed against concerns stemming from selection controversies at the 2018 Asian Games, when India failed to reach the final for the first time and selection decisions were questioned.

Sunil Kumar is listed as the captain of the Indian men’s kabaddi team for the 2026 Asian Games.

The Kabaddi event at the 2026 Asian Games is scheduled to take place from September 21 to September 26, 2026.