India Women Begin Asian Games 2026 Kabaddi Title Defence With 42-21 Win Over Bangladesh

Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 21: India began the defence of their women's kabaddi title at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya with a 42-21 win over Bangladesh in their opening Group A fixture at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium on Monday.

India produced a dominant display to defeat Bangladesh, combining a disciplined defensive setup with consistent attacking pressure, led by Sanju Devi’s contribution in offence, as per a release.

India take early control

India established control early, making it difficult for Bangladesh to reach the bonus line while regularly finding points through successful raids. Bangladesh Captain Sraboni Mollick kept her side on the scoreboard, but India’s defence continued to limit their opportunities.

Manisha Kumari was particularly effective from the left cover, while Sonali Shingate and captain Pushpa Rana added valuable points in attack as India secured an All-Out and took a 21-10 lead into the break.

Second-half pressure continues

India carried the same intensity into the second half, with Sanju Devi and Pooja finding quick hand touches and the defence maintaining a high line to put pressure on Bangladesh’s raiders. The approach paid off as India inflicted another All-Out, while Sanju Devi continued to keep the scoreboard moving with successful raids.

Bangladesh mounted a brief fightback with Sraboni and the other raiders stringing together consecutive points, while their defence also began to slow India’s momentum.

The gap narrowed with five minutes remaining, but India responded through Sanju Devi, who produced a series of successful raids to restore a sizeable advantage and close out a comfortable 42-21 victory.

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India begin title defence

India’s 42 points included 11 bonus points and four All-Out points, while Bangladesh managed five bonus points and a single Super Tackle point.

The result gives India a winning start to their title defence, with the women's team looking to extend their run against the formidable Iran at 8:30 am on September 23.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)