India beat Iran 40-34 to win men's kabaddi gold at Asian Games 2026

India defeated Iran 40-34 in the men's kabaddi final at the Asian Games 2026 on Saturday at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium in Aichi-Nagoya, securing the gold medal.

India successfully defended their Asian Games title to claim a ninth gold in kabaddi, with the final producing an intense contest from the opening raid as both sides traded points. Arjun Deshwal and Devank Dalal led India's raids early on, while Ali Samadi Choubtarash offered the initial threat for Iran; Sunil Kumar made an early impact in defence with a Super Tackle on Mohammadreza Shadlouichiyaneh and Arjun combined touches and bonus points to keep India competitive.

Iran responded when Amirmohammad Zafar Danesh completed an All-Out raid to swing momentum in Iran's favour, and the teams settled into a tightly contested exchange. Arjun continued to find points for India as Jaideep produced important defensive interventions, before Iran captain Fazel Atrachali executed a Super Tackle and Zafar Danesh caught Devank Dalal to leave Iran holding an 18-17 lead at halftime.

India began the second half with increased intent, putting Iran into do-or-die raids that Zafar Danesh repeatedly answered. Mohammadreza Shadlouichiyaneh extended Iran's advantage with an ankle hold, but India's defence started to regain control when Sumit and Jaideep combined for a Super Tackle on Ali Samadi Choubtarash and Aslam Inamdar completed a successful do-or-die raid to level the score.

As the match continued to see high-quality tackles, Sumit grew into a principal defensive figure from the left corner while Omid and Fazel combined on another Super Tackle to keep Iran in touch. The breakthrough for India came when Arjun Deshwal evaded Fazel Atrachali to set up an All-Out that gave India a five-point lead with around 10 minutes remaining.

With time running down Arjun and Devank pressed the Iranian defence and Sumit produced a back hold to stop Zafar Danesh, stretching India's advantage further. Mohammadreza Shadlouichiyaneh continued to contribute for Iran, but Rahul Sethpal made a crucial tackle to preserve a seven-point lead with three minutes left; Iran pushed higher up the mat and Aslam Inamdar added two valuable points to maintain India's control.

Iran were unable to overturn the deficit in the closing moments, and India completed a 40-34 victory to win gold and finish their Asian Games campaign unbeaten.