India name 12-man men's kabaddi squad for Asian Games 2026; Naveen Kumar and Surjeet Singh omitted
India named its 12-player men's kabaddi squad for the Asian Games 2026 on August 22, 2026, with Naveen Kumar and Surjeet Singh among the notable omissions. The squad announcement comes ahead of the kabaddi competition at the Asian Games, scheduled for September 21-26, 2026.
The kabaddi events at the Asian Games are set for September 21 to 26, and India enter having won both the men's and women's titles at the 2022 Asian Games. Historically India have claimed every gold at the event except in 2018, when Iran won gold in both men’s and women’s kabaddi. The Indian federation and coaching staff held several preparatory camps involving top domestic players before finalising the tournament roster.
Selectors reduced the pool to a 12-player group after those training camps, prioritising balance across positions within the limited squad size. The management stated the selection process was difficult because only a restricted number of players could be taken to Hangzhou. The selection panel said it used all available resources to construct a balanced team for the competition.
The final squad comprises four raiders, six defenders and two all-rounders. The raiders named are Ashu Malik, Ayan Lohchab, Devank Dalal and Arjun Deshwal. Defenders selected are Sunil Kumar, Jaideep Dahiya, Rahul Sethpal, Gaurav Khatri, Sumit Sangwan and Ankit Jaglan, while the two all-rounders are Pawan Sehrawat and Aslam Inamdar.
Several established players were left out of the 12-man list; some of the key omissions are Naveen Kumar, Aditya Shinde, Surjeet Singh, Shubham Shinde, Yogesh Dahiya and Parvesh Bhainswal. The selectors faced a constrained choice set and opted for the final combination they judged most suitable for the format and tournament timetable.
India’s men’s kabaddi side has a strong record at the Asian Games, and the national team has accumulated eight gold medals in the tournament’s history. The only interruption to that run came in 2018, when Iran claimed both golds, before India reclaimed both titles at the 2022 Games.
The named 12-player squad will represent India in the kabaddi tournament at the Asian Games, which runs from September 21 to 26, 2026, as the team looks to defend the titles won at the previous edition.