India hoopsters knocked out of FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup after losses to New Zealand and Qatar

India bowed out of the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2026 in Singapore after losing to New Zealand and Qatar in their Pool D matches on Friday.

India, 83rd in the 3×3 basketball rankings, went down 16-11 to world No. 23 New Zealand in their first Pool D clash in a closely fought contest.

India made a bright start, racing to a 3-0 lead through Arvind Muthu and Harsh Dagar. However, New Zealand quickly turned the tide as David Lewis knocked down three two-pointers to wrest control of the match.

With India conceding fouls in the closing stages, New Zealand capitalised from the free-throw line to pull away and seal the win.

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

In a must-win clash against world No. 30 Qatar, India were on the back foot early, trailing 9-3. They fought back to cut the deficit to 12-8, led by Pranav Prince, but could not sustain the momentum and eventually crashed out of the competition after losing 16-10.

Pranav Prince was India’s top scorer in the main draw with seven points.

Earlier in the tournament, India produced strong performances in the qualifying round. They beat world No. 19 Bahrain 21-12, with Harsh Dagar scoring 15 of India’s points.

Against world No. 55 Kazakhstan, they registered a 20-18 victory and beat 84th-ranked Hong Kong China 19-18 in another thriller.

Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team, champions in 2013, failed to progress beyond the qualifying rounds this year.