Indian women’s kabaddi team has proved their dominance once again at Asian Games 2026. India has defeated Iran by 37-34 and won the gold medal at the finals. Played at Aichi-Nagoya this high-pressure final India team faced a tough challenge from Iran but India maintained their composure at crucial moments and finished the game with a 3-point margin.

This victory is very special as India defended their Asian Games women’s kabaddi title successfully against Iran. After winning the gold medal at Hangzhou Asian Games, India retained their top position at 2026 Asian Games too. With this victory India women’s kabaddi team secured their fourth gold medal in Asian Games.

India vs Iran Final: A High-Pressure Gold Medal Battle

The final between India and Iran took place on September 26, 2026 at Tokai Citizen Gymnasium of Aichi-Nagoya. The final was scheduled for the morning session according to the tournament schedule.

The match was particularly interesting because India and Iran are familiar opponents in Asian women’s kabaddi. Both the teams faced each other in the group stage too where India defeated Iran by 37-23. The pressure of the finals was completely different and Iran gave a tough competition to India for the gold medal.

India Takes Control in First Half

In the starting of the final India effectively used their raiding and defensive combinations. Indian team gradually started controlling the scoreboard and gave no chance to Iran to collect points easily.

Until half-time India was leading with 22-16. The six-point lead gave team India a settled start for the second-half. However, Iran was not completely out of contest and they made a strong attempt of a comeback in the second-half. Indian defense managed to contain the attacking moves of Iran in the first-half but the match was going to be even more competitive in the second-half.

Iran’s Strong Second-Half Comeback

Team Iran improved their game in the second-half and was successful in reducing the Indian lead. In the final stages of the match the scoreboard gap was very close which clearly increased the pressure in the Indian camp.

Iran put Indian defense to test and tried to score quick points, but Indian players maintained their calm and patience in the final moments and won by 37-34 to secure the gold medal. This 3-point victory explains the tough competition Iran put up against India. The final contest was considerably closer as compared to a 14-point margin in the group stage against Iran.

Unbeaten Campaign Ends with Gold

India women’s kabaddi team finished their Asian Games 2026 campaign while being unbeaten. Champions won against Bangladesh with 42-21 and started their campaign, after which they defeated Iran with 37-23 and Japan by 50-25 in the final group match.

After the group stage India also defeated Nepal in the semi-final with 48-24 and secured their gold medal spot. This is how team India moved on from every stage unbeaten to move to the finals and only winning the gold medal by still being unbeaten.

Pooja Kajla and Sanju Devi Among Key Players

Pooja Kajla’s role was particularly important in India’s successful campaign. In the group stage against Iran, she helped India to recover from early pressure. Iran created a lead of 8-4 in the beginning of the match but Pooja’s raids helped in shifting the momentum in India’s favor.

Sanju Devi also made a strong contribution in the opening match against Bangladesh where India won with 42-21, where along with Sanju Manisha Kumari, Sonali Shingate and Pushpa Rana also played an important role.

In the finals too a collective team effort was the major factor of India winning the gold. Kabaddi is not an individual-star sport; successful raid, tackles, bonus points and team coordination decide the results.

A Special Chapter in India’s Asian Games History

Women’ Kabaddi is included in Asian Games program since 2010 and India has maintained an exceptional record since their introduction. India won the gold medal in 2010, 2014 and 2022. In 2018 Jakarta Asian Games Iran won the final from India and took gold medal home.

In 2026 India defeated Iran and once again named the gold medal to their name. With this victory gold medal tally for India has reached to four in Asian Games.