India clinched the men's kabaddi gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 after defeating Iran 40-34 in a hard-fought final on Saturday, September 26. Pawan Sehrawat’s Indian men’s kabaddi team held their nerve in the title clash to get another gold medal for the country.
India’s victory extended its dominant record in men’s kabaddi at the Asian Games. Since the sport was added to the continental multi-sport event in 1990, India have won the men’s kabaddi gold medal on each of them except in 2018. The latest victory thus adds another chapter to India’s long-standing record in the competition.
Both teams competed for control throughout the final against Iran and India, however, somehow got the crucial points at the most crucial moments of the match, and ended up winning by a six-point margin. The 40-34 scoreline was indicative of the fact that Iran was always playing to the best of their ability and India was not ahead and fought the Iranian team until the very end of the match.
India finished first in the group and knockout tournaments. The team won the Asian Games 2026 with a 49-24 victory over Japan in the Group A match on September 21. India went on to win against South Korea, Bangladesh, and Chinese Taipei.
In their second game against South Korea, the Indian team did another strong performance and won 63-31. India then won 48-25 against Bangladesh and finished the group stage with a 37-21 victory over Chinese Taipei in the end.
The strong performances helped India to make it to the knockout stage with a lot of momentum. In the semifinal, India met Thailand and produced one of its most emphatic performances of the tournament. India defeated Thailand 66-28 on Friday to secure its place in the gold medal match.
Iran also reached the final after an impressive semifinal performance. The 2018 champions defeated Chinese Taipei 59-21 in the second semifinal to set up a title showdown against India. So the final brought together two of the strongest teams in the men’s kabaddi competition.
For India, the gold medal also is a great response after the disappointment of the 2018 Asian Games. India failed to make it to the podium in the Jakarta edition and ended up in fourth place. That result ended the country's remarkable run of winning the men's kabaddi gold at every edition of the Asian Games since the sport has been introduced.
The 2026 victory places India back at the top of the Asian Games men’s kabaddi podium. The team’s consistency in the tournament also exhibited itself as India beat every opponent in the group stage and then Thailand and Iran in the knockout stage.
Pawan Sehrawat’s leadership was also an important part of India’s campaign. Sehrawat was the captain during the tournament and kept India focused on the group and knockout stages as the team had so many players and also the team was able to perform well in the group and knockout stages of the tournament. The final victory against Iran was the end of the Indian men’s kabaddi team’s successful campaign.
India’s success in the men’s event comes after the women’s kabaddi team also won gold at the Asian Games 2026. The Indian women defeated Iran 37-34 in their gold medal match to defend their Asian Games title and to add another kabaddi gold to India’s medal list.
The women's team had also faced Iran in a tight final, so the two kabaddi gold medal matches were especially significant for India. Both Indian teams defeated Iran to win the top position at the gold medal stage in both competitions.
The gold for men’s is yet another big achievement in India’s 2026 Asian Games campaign. The Indian kabaddi team took the gold medal once again and continues to be the best team in kabaddi.
Another important moment in Indian kabaddi history will be the 40-34 victory over Iran. With the ninth men’s kabaddi gold secured, India have consolidated their dominance in the Asian Games competition and have been able to complete a perfect 2026 campaign.
