The Indian men’s basketball team stormed into the main draw of the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2026 in Singapore after beating Bahrain, Kazakhstan and Hong Kong China in Pool D of its qualifying round on Wednesday.
India, 83rd in the 3×3 basketball rankings, produced a clinical performance to beat world No. 19 Bahrain 21-12 in their final Pool D qualifying match. Harsh Dagar dominated the court, scoring 15 of India’s total points.
Earlier in the day, India kept themselves in contention with two hard-fought wins. They staged a late comeback to beat world No. 55 Kazakhstan 20-18 in their opener. Pranav Prince top-scored with nine points, while Arvind Muthu added five.
Kazakhstan had moved 18-16 ahead in the closing stages, but India responded with a decisive four-point burst, with Prince and Muthu driving the turnaround.
India then edged 84th-ranked Hong Kong China 19-18 in another thriller. Muthu led the scoring with seven points, while Kushal Singh contributed five.
With three wins, the men’s Indian basketball team, which is yet to win the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup, is now in Pool D of the main draw alongside Qatar and New Zealand.
Matches in the main draw games will begin on April 3. The top two teams from the group stage will progress to the quarterfinals.
Last year, India made it to the quarterfinals after 12 years. The same four-member squad is competing this year.
The Indian women’s 3×3 basketball team, which won the inaugural edition in 2013, will play their qualifying round matches on Thursday.
