Asian Games 2026: India thrash Bangladesh 48-25 in kabaddi, enter semifinals
India's men's kabaddi team beat Bangladesh 48-25 to seal a semifinal berth and confirm at least a medal at the Asian Games.
The Indian men's kabaddi team's winning run at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan continues unabated. Playing under captain Sunil Kumar, India handed Bangladesh a crushing defeat to book a place in the semifinals. With this performance, the team has also secured a medal at the tournament.
In the Group A match played at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium on Wednesday, India beat Bangladesh by a huge margin of 48-25. This was India's third straight win in the group stage. The team had earlier begun the tournament with a strong win over Japan, before beating South Korea by a big margin of 63-31 in their second match. Having now beaten Bangladesh, India have comfortably secured their semifinal spot. With the semifinal berth, India's medal in kabaddi is confirmed, and fans are now eyeing the gold medal.
Right from the start of the match, the Indian raiders troubled the Bangladeshi defenders. On the back of aggressive raids, the Indian players collected 18 points and 7 crucial bonus points. It became difficult for the Bangladeshi players to break India's strong defence. Bangladesh's team could not make a comeback against India's aggressive play. Bangladesh did try to fight back by scoring 1 point through a super tackle, but it did not have much impact against India's dominant performance.
In the second half of the match, Bangladesh's team tried to make something of a comeback. On the back of aggressive raiding, they picked up 8 points and 8 bonus points. But these efforts by Bangladesh proved insufficient against India's strong lead from the first half and their balanced strategy on the field.
