Neeta Dadwe leads India to 37-34 Asian Games kabaddi gold over Iran
Neeta Dadwe led India’s women’s kabaddi team to a 37-34 victory over Iran to win gold at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on October 06, 2026. The result saw India successfully defend the title it won at the Hangzhou edition in 2022.
A towering cabinet of medals, cups and memorabilia greets visitors to Neeta’s home in Hyderabad, prompting her declaration: "Kabaddi gave me this house. Everything you see here is what the sport has given me. All of it is a result of my hard work," declares Neeta Dadwe, pride lighting up her face. A day after she landed in the City of Pearls to a roaring welcome at the airport, The Hindu visited the home of the Arjuna Awardee who has coached India to continental success, including a gold at the 2014 Asian Games and the 2016 South Asian Games.
Preparation for Aichi-Nagoya began with a month-long camp at SAI Gandhinagar in May where 42 players were trimmed to 29, a process handled by a selection committee that included Mamata Poojary and V. Tejeswini Bai. A second 15-day camp at SAI Gandhinagar followed, and the third camp was held at the JSW facility in Ballari. "We got stuff like a fitness trainer, masseur, sauna bath, ice bath, and more, which is not common for us in kabaddi. I was the coach in 2014 (Asian Games) and we didn’t have as many facilities as we got this time. The kids were very happy because our camps were like international ones. And because of that, for probably the first time, we barely had any injuries during the tournament," Neeta said.
The team also enforced a strict phones policy during camps to manage recovery and focus. "We asked the federation and got their permission to do it. The more you use your mobile, especially later in the night, the more you will feel tired the next day. We got the players very much involved in it. One girl would take turns to collect the phones and deposit them. They would get them on Saturday and by Sunday’s end, they would be returned."
Accommodation in Japan presented problems the players could not prepare for: the entire contingent was housed on a docked cruise ship with a tight schedule and long travel to the ground. "The schedule was very tight for us, and the ground was very far from the ship where we were put up. To be honest, not everyone fits [in the accommodation provided] on the ship. Food was also an issue. Non-vegetarians didn’t have a problem, but the vegetarians faced many. However, the girls managed to face it all without many complaints," Neeta explained, adding that bread became a staple of her diet there.
On the mat India progressed through the group stage and semifinals before meeting Iran in the final; India started strongly to lead 5-2, Iran levelled with a super tackle and surged ahead 7-5, and the match finished 37-34. As captain Pushpa Rana, all-rounder Jyoti Thakur and several other players revealed after the triumph in Japan, the groundwork for this success was laid at the training camps. "P.T. Usha came to watch our match. The whole of IOA came. We were all very tense. I was so tense that I couldn’t even look back [at the stands]. The girls and I were under a lot of pressure, but we all had the same goal, which was to win the gold medal," Neeta admitted.
Tactical work included studying video of Iran’s preparations in India: "They had been practicing in India for two months. They were in Himachal, played with two or three clubs in Haryana. We asked the federation for some of their videos, and we studied them well." Neeta worked alongside Mamata Poojary, and the pair spent nights planning match roles and permutations — changing positions, for instance to prevent opponents preparing specific counters to players such as Ritu Negi. Neeta reflected on her record with the national side: "Zameen aasman ka farak hai" and noted the team’s recent continental history: "In 2018 we won silver. Besides that, we won gold in 2010, 2014, and 2022. I was very scared and worried about how we would fare this time. Not just because of past results, but also because we selected a strong team this time and had good camps."
Neeta addressed the women’s domestic ecosystem and the role of professional leagues, recalling the 2016 Women’s Kabaddi Challenge and calling for a full women’s Pro Kabaddi. "In 2016, we had the Kabaddi Challenge, but it took place in the men’s court. If there are three steps in a women’s court, there are five in the men’s court. And many argued that since volleyball and basketball have same-sized courts for men and women, why not kabaddi? But I believe that if that Challenge took place in a women’s court, it would have been a big success," she opined. "If Pro Kabaddi starts for girls, it will be beneficial as more kids will come out in the ecosystem." She also outlined upcoming competitions: "We had the World Cup earlier. From 21st to 31st this month, we have the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship in Ahmedabad. After that, we have the Indo-Asian Games in Dubai in November. After that, there’s the World Cup again."
Neeta had already packed for a family road trip to her hometown, Nagpur, where the Maratha Lancers club first sparked her interest in the sport, and left Hyderabad carrying the Asian Games gold. Back home, her collection of trophies and medals remains on display as she travelled to Nagpur with the team’s victory.