Indian women hoopsters fail to make it to the main draw of FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2026

It turned out to be a mixed day for Indian basketball fans as the men advanced but the women missed out on a place in the main draw of the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2026 in Singapore after losing to Malaysia in Pool B of their qualifying round on Thursday.

India, 88th in the 3×3 basketball rankings, lost 16-13 to the 44th-ranked Malaysian team in their opening qualifying match after leading 6-4 at one stage.

Pushpa Senthil Kumar scored six points for India while Dharshini Thirunavukkarasu contributed with a couple of two-pointers.

FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2026: Indian men stun higher-ranked teams to qualify for main draw

Against world No. 70 Turkmenistan, the women’s Indian basketball team, which won the inaugural edition in 2013, mounted a strong comeback to win 21-4.

All four Indian basketball players, Sreekala Rani (six points), Dharshini Thirunavukkarasu (five points), Pushpa Senthil Kumar (six points) and Sanjana Ramesh (four points), looked on top of their game.

Malaysia women progress

However, Malaysia progressed to the main draw with a 21-9 win against Turkmenistan later in the day. Only the top team from the group qualified for the main draw.

This was the second straight edition where Indian women failed to make it past the qualifying round. Last year, India beat Guam but lost to Hong Kong China and Chinese Taipei in their qualifying round.

Meanwhile, the Indian men’s basketball team stormed into the main draw on Wednesday after beating Bahrain, Kazakhstan and Hong Kong China in Pool D of its qualifying round.

The men’s Indian basketball team, which is yet to win the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup, will take on Qatar and New Zealand in Pool D of the main draw on Friday.

The top two teams from the group stage of the main draw will progress to the quarterfinals. Last year, Indian men made it to the quarterinals for the first time in 12 years.