India began the defence of their men’s kabaddi title at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya with a commanding 49–24 win over hosts Japan in their opening Group A fixture at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium on Monday morning.
Under captain Sunil Kumar, India asserted authority from the opening whistle, with Ashu Malik’s three-point Super Raid setting the tone early. He was ably supported by PKL star raiders Arjun Deshwal, Devank Dalal and Ayan Lohchab as the Indian team mounted the pressure.
Ashu Malik and Devank Dalal were the standout players for India in the match. Malik’s early super raid set the tone for the first-half as India dominated the period and took a 31-9 lead into the break. Japan, who were all out twice in the half, scored four of their points through bonuses.
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The Indians kept the Japanese raiding unit in check throughout the first half, inflicting three All-Outs for six points in addition to racking up 24 out points of their own.
Japan struggled to generate any sustained momentum against India’s defensive combinations, managing just five touch points and leaning on four bonus points to stay on the scoreboard. By the break, India held an unassailable 22-point lead at 31-9.
India made wholesale changes in the second half, replacing five of the seven players who started the match. Veteran Pawan Sehrawat, Arjun Deshwal and Aslam Inamdar were amongst the players who were brought onto the mat for some game time. The period saw the hosts take a more aggressive approach and even reduce India to two men at one stage.
Japan regrouped after the interval, playing with sharper tactical discipline. Backed by calculated bonus-line hunting and quick hand touches, they pushed India into a tighter 18-15 second half, holding India to just 12 points after the break.
But the Indian defence refused to let the contest slip, inflicting a fourth All-Out and showing clutch awareness with a timely Super Tackle while down on numbers to snuff out any hope of a comeback. India’s offence had already done the bulk of the damage early, with direct dismissals accounting for 36 of their 49 points, against a Japanese attack that drew more than a third of its total from the bonus line.
The result gives India a winning start to their title defence, with the men’s team looking to extend a run that has yielded eight golds from the last nine editions of the Games.
India will face the Republic of Korea in their next Group A match at the same venue on Tuesday.
The men’s kabaddi tournament at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games is a 10-team affair with the sides divided into two equal groups.
India have been drawn in Group A alongside Bangladesh, the Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei and Japan.
Group B features the Islamic Republic of Iran, Nepal, Thailand, Pakistan and Malaysia.
After round-robin matches, the top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals. There will be no bronze medal matches with both losing semifinalists securing spots on the podium.
India are a record eight-time Asian Games kabaddi champions in the men’s event, having secured gold medals in every edition the sport has featured in barring Jakarta 2018 – where Iran took the top honours.
India’s kabaddi champions chase gold double as Asian Games campaign begins
