India Will Defend Both Kabaddi Titles With Eight Debutants in a Twelve Man Squad in Aichi
Ritu Negi returns as women's captain while raiders Ayan Lohchab and Devank Dalal lead a men's team rebuilt around the domestic league's leading scorers.
India will defend both kabaddi gold medals at the Asian Games in Aichi, where the competition runs from 21 to 26 September 2026 at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium.
Eight of the 12 men named in the squad will be appearing at an Asian Games for the first time, among them the raiders Ayan Lohchab and Devank Dalal, who topped the most recent Pro Kabaddi League season with 316 and 271 raid points.
Ritu Negi returns as captain of the 12 strong women's team, which also includes Pushpa Rana and Sonali Shingate, gold medallists in 2022, and Sanju Devi, the most valuable player at the 2025 Women's Kabaddi World Cup.
India are in Group A in both competitions. The men meet Bangladesh, South Korea, Chinese Taipei and Japan, while the women face Iran, Japan and Bangladesh.
Round robin matches run from 21 to 24 September and the semi-finals are on 25 September, with both beaten semi-finalists taking bronze rather than playing off. India have won 11 of the 13 kabaddi gold medals awarded since the sport entered the Games in 1990, eight in the men's event and three in the women's.