India are heading into the Asian Games 2026 Kabaddi competition in Japan with a big responsibility on their shoulders. The Indian men’s and women’s teams will enter the tournament as defending champions, having won both kabaddi gold medals at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
But there is an interesting change in leadership this time. Both Indian teams will have new captains at the Asian Games, while some of the most experienced names in Indian kabaddi will be around them in different roles.
Sunil Kumar has been named captain of the Indian men’s kabaddi team, with Pawan Sehrawat as vice-captain. On the women’s side, Pushpa Rana will lead India, while Sonali Shingate has been named vice-captain. Importantly, both Sunil Kumar and Pushpa Rana will be captaining India at the Asian Games for the first time.
The coaching setup is also attracting attention, particularly in the men’s team. Veteran coach Balwan Singh is returning as India’s head coach after a decade away from the national side.
With kabaddi scheduled from September 21 to September 26 at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, India’s leadership combination of new captains and experienced coaches will be one of the key storylines to follow.
India Kabaddi Captains and Coaches for Asian Games 2026
The leadership structure for India’s two kabaddi teams is now clear.
| Team | Captain | Vice-Captain | Head Coach | Assistant Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| India Men | Sunil Kumar | Pawan Sehrawat | Balwan Singh | B.C. Ramesh |
| India Women | Pushpa Rana | Sonali Shingate | Neeta Dadwe | Mamtha Poojari |
For the men’s team, Neeraj Kumar is also part of the support staff as the strength and conditioning coach. His role could become particularly important because the kabaddi schedule is physically demanding, with group-stage matches being played on consecutive days before the knockout rounds.
Sunil Kumar to Captain India Men’s Kabaddi Team
Sunil Kumar will take charge of the Indian men’s kabaddi team at the 20th Asian Games. The experienced cover defender has been handed the captaincy at an important stage for Indian kabaddi, with a large number of new faces in the squad.
Sunil is one of only four players from India’s gold-medal-winning 2022 Asian Games squad who have been retained for the 2026 campaign. The other three are Pawan Sehrawat, Arjun Deshwal and Aslam Inamdar.
That experience becomes especially valuable because eight of India’s 12 men’s players are set to make their Asian Games debut.
For Sunil, leadership is not something new. He has already established himself as one of the most successful captains in Pro Kabaddi League history and currently leads U Mumba. His experience as a defender also gives him a natural understanding of how to organise the defensive chain during a match.
In kabaddi, the captain is not simply responsible for making decisions after every raid. A captain needs to constantly communicate with defenders, understand the opponent’s raiding patterns, manage tackle situations and decide when the team should take risks.
That makes Sunil’s role particularly important in a relatively new-looking Indian side.
He also takes over the captaincy from Pawan Sehrawat, who led India to gold in Hangzhou in 2022. Sehrawat will remain closely involved as vice-captain, giving India two players with recent Asian Games title-winning experience on the mat.
Pawan Sehrawat Becomes India’s Men’s Vice-Captain
Pawan Sehrawat’s move from captain to vice-captain is one of the notable changes in India’s men’s setup.
The star raider captained India to the kabaddi gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games. He now has an important supporting role under Sunil Kumar.
For a squad containing eight Asian Games debutants, having a player who has already experienced the pressure of an Asian Games campaign can be extremely valuable. Pawan’s attacking experience and familiarity with international-level pressure can provide another leadership option alongside Sunil.
The combination gives India a balance between defensive leadership and attacking experience.
Pushpa Rana Named India Women’s Kabaddi Captain
On the women’s side, Pushpa Rana has been selected as India’s captain for the 2026 Asian Games.
Rana becomes only the fourth woman to captain India in kabaddi at the Asian Games. Before her, the captaincy was held by Tejeswini Bai, Payel Chowdhury and Ritu Negi.
This makes Pushpa’s appointment a significant moment in India’s women’s kabaddi leadership history.
She will lead a 12-player squad containing six defenders, four raiders and two all-rounders. Sonali Shingate will serve as her vice-captain.
Pushpa takes over the captaincy from Ritu Negi, who led India to the women’s kabaddi gold medal in Hangzhou in 2022. However, Negi has been retained in the 2026 squad, which means India will not completely lose the experience of their previous title-winning captain.
That could help Pushpa settle into the responsibility of leading India at a major multi-sport event for the first time.
Sonali Shingate Named Women’s Vice-Captain
Sonali Shingate will support Pushpa Rana as vice-captain of the Indian women’s kabaddi team.
Her presence gives the team another experienced voice as India look to defend their Asian Games crown.
India have won three of the four women’s kabaddi gold medals available since the sport was introduced to the Asian Games programme in 2010. They won gold in 2010, 2014 and 2022, while taking silver in 2018.
The only time India did not win gold was in Jakarta in 2018, when Iran defeated them 27-24 in the final.
That result remains an important part of the history between the two sides, particularly because Iran are again in India’s group at the 2026 Asian Games.
Balwan Singh Returns as India Men’s Head Coach
The biggest coaching headline for Asian Games 2026 Kabaddi is undoubtedly the return of Balwan Singh.
Balwan Singh is back as the head coach of the Indian men’s team after a gap of around ten years. His previous Asian Games appearance as India’s coach came in 2014, when the team won gold in Incheon.
In fact, India have never lost an Asian Games match with Balwan Singh as coach.
He coached India at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 Asian Games, and the Indian men’s team won gold on all three occasions.
His overall coaching record at the international level is equally impressive. Balwan Singh has won 14 international gold medals as a coach, including India’s three men’s Kabaddi World Cup titles in 2004, 2007 and 2016.
His Asian Games record includes gold medals in 2006, 2010 and 2014. He has also guided Indian teams to gold at the South Asian Games in 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2016, the Asian Indoor Games in 2005, 2008 and 2009, and the Asian Kabaddi Championship in 2009.
That experience could prove useful for a squad that has undergone significant changes since the 2022 Asian Games.
B.C. Ramesh and Neeraj Kumar Complete Men’s Coaching Staff
Balwan Singh will be supported by B.C. Ramesh, who comes into the setup as assistant coach.
Ramesh brings another experienced voice to the coaching bench, giving the Indian team a combination of tactical knowledge and experience at the highest level.
The men’s support staff also includes Neeraj Kumar as strength and conditioning coach.
His role may not attract as much attention as the head coach or captain, but the physical preparation of the players could become crucial during the tournament.
The Asian Games kabaddi competition is scheduled from September 21 to September 26. The group-stage matches will be played from September 21 to 24, followed by the semi-finals on September 25 and the finals on September 26.
That leaves very little recovery time between matches. Managing fatigue, keeping players physically fresh and reducing the risk of performance drops could be just as important as tactical preparation.
Neeta Dadwe to Coach India’s Women’s Team
India’s women’s kabaddi team will be coached by Neeta Dadwe, who has been appointed head coach, with former Indian kabaddi star Mamtha Poojari serving as assistant coach.
The coaching duo has a difficult but familiar target: keeping India at the top of the Asian Games women’s kabaddi competition.
India have medalled in every Asian Games women’s kabaddi tournament they have entered. Their record stands at three gold medals and one silver.
However, the presence of Iran makes India’s Group A campaign particularly interesting. Iran are the only team to have defeated India in a women’s kabaddi final at the Asian Games, doing so in 2018.
With Iran, Japan and Bangladesh in India’s group, the women’s team will have to be prepared from the opening match rather than relying on an easy route through the group stage.
India’s Asian Games Kabaddi Captaincy History
Kabaddi became part of the Asian Games programme in 1990, and India have dominated the men’s competition for much of that period.
Across the first nine editions featuring men’s kabaddi, eight different men have captained India, although Rakesh Kumar is the only player to have led the side at two separate Asian Games.
| Year | Host City | India Captain | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Beijing | Hardeep Singh | Gold |
| 1994 | Hiroshima | S. Rajarathinam | Gold |
| 1998 | Bangkok | Biswajit Palit | Gold |
| 2002 | Busan | Ram Mehar Singh | Gold |
| 2006 | Doha | Dinesh Kumar | Gold |
| 2010 | Guangzhou | Rakesh Kumar | Gold |
| 2014 | Incheon | Rakesh Kumar | Gold |
| 2018 | Jakarta | Ajay Thakur | Bronze |
| 2022 | Hangzhou | Pawan Sehrawat | Gold |
| 2026 | Aichi-Nagoya | Sunil Kumar | To be decided |
India have won eight men’s Asian Games kabaddi gold medals. Their only failure to win gold came in 2018, when Ajay Thakur’s team finished with the bronze medal.
Rakesh Kumar remains the only Indian man to have captained the country at two Asian Games. He did so in 2010 and 2014, with India winning gold on both occasions.
Sunil Kumar will now become the ninth man to captain India in men’s kabaddi at the Asian Games.
India’s Women’s Asian Games Captaincy History
Women’s kabaddi was introduced to the Asian Games in 2010, so India’s captaincy history in the event is shorter.
| Year | Host City | India Captain | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Guangzhou | Tejeswini Bai | Gold |
| 2014 | Incheon | Tejeswini Bai | Gold |
| 2018 | Jakarta | Payel Chowdhury | Silver |
| 2022 | Hangzhou | Ritu Negi | Gold |
| 2026 | Aichi-Nagoya | Pushpa Rana | To be decided |
Tejeswini Bai remains the only woman to have captained India at two Asian Games. She led India to gold in both 2010 and 2014.
Pushpa Rana will become only the fourth woman to lead India at the Asian Games.
Her task is particularly interesting because Ritu Negi, the captain of the previous gold-winning team, remains part of the squad.
India Have Won 11 Asian Games Kabaddi Gold Medals
India’s overall record in Asian Games kabaddi underlines the scale of the challenge facing the 2026 teams.
India have won 11 kabaddi gold medals at the Asian Games, including eight in the men’s competition and three in the women’s event.
The men’s team won gold in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2022. The women’s team won gold in 2010, 2014 and 2022.
The 2018 Asian Games remain the only edition in which India failed to win a kabaddi gold medal after entering the men’s competition, while the women’s side won silver that year.
This history explains why defending the two titles in Aichi-Nagoya will come with significant expectations.
What Sunil Kumar and Pushpa Rana’s Captaincy Means
The most interesting feature of India’s 2026 kabaddi leadership is that both teams have opted for new Asian Games captains without completely removing the previous leadership from the setup.
Sunil Kumar is taking over the men’s captaincy from Pawan Sehrawat, but Sehrawat remains as vice-captain. On the women’s side, Pushpa Rana replaces Ritu Negi as captain, while Negi remains in the squad and Sonali Shingate becomes vice-captain.
So, India are refreshing their leadership while keeping title-winning experience close to the new captains.
The coaching appointments follow a similar philosophy, but with even more emphasis on experience. The men’s squad has eight Asian Games debutants, making Balwan Singh’s return particularly significant.
The veteran coach has already experienced three Asian Games gold-medal campaigns with India and has an unbeaten Asian Games record as the national men’s coach.
For the women, Neeta Dadwe and Mamtha Poojari will have the responsibility of guiding a team that is aiming for its fourth women’s kabaddi gold in five Asian Games appearances.
New Captains, Experienced Coaches for Asian Games 2026
India’s kabaddi campaign at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya will therefore have an interesting mix of new and familiar faces.
Sunil Kumar and Pushpa Rana will experience the responsibility of leading India at the Asian Games for the first time. Pawan Sehrawat and Sonali Shingate will support them as vice-captains, while Ritu Negi’s continued presence gives the women’s side another recent gold-medal-winning leader.
On the bench, Balwan Singh’s return provides the men’s team with a coach who knows exactly what it takes to win an Asian Games title. B.C. Ramesh and Neeraj Kumar complete the men’s support structure, while Neeta Dadwe and Mamtha Poojari will guide the women’s team.
Kabaddi will be played from September 21 to September 26, 2026, with group-stage action during the first four days, semi-finals on September 25 and the medal matches on September 26.
India arrive as defending champions in both categories. The new captains now have the responsibility of carrying that legacy forward, while the experienced coaches and senior players around them will look to make sure the transition does not affect India’s gold-medal ambitions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Asian Games 2026 Kabaddi
Who is the captain of the Indian kabaddi team for the Asian Games 2026?
Sunil Kumar is the captain of the Indian men’s kabaddi team, while Pushpa Rana is the captain of the women’s team. Both are captaining India at the Asian Games for the first time.
Who are the vice-captains of India’s kabaddi teams at the 2026 Asian Games?
Pawan Sehrawat is the men’s vice-captain, while Sonali Shingate is the women’s vice-captain. Pawan Sehrawat previously captained India to men’s kabaddi gold at the 2022 Asian Games.
Who is the coach of India’s men’s kabaddi team for Asian Games 2026?
Balwan Singh is the head coach, B.C. Ramesh is the assistant coach and Neeraj Kumar is the strength and conditioning coach.
Who is coaching India’s women’s kabaddi team at Asian Games 2026?
Neeta Dadwe is the head coach of India’s women’s kabaddi team, with Mamtha Poojari as the assistant coach.
Who captained India to kabaddi gold at the 2022 Asian Games?
Pawan Sehrawat captained India’s men’s team, while Ritu Negi led the women’s team when India won both kabaddi gold medals at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
How many Asian Games kabaddi gold medals has India won?
India have won 11 Asian Games kabaddi gold medals — eight in the men’s competition and three in the women’s competition.
Has India ever lost an Asian Games kabaddi match under Balwan Singh?
No. India remained unbeaten in the Asian Games editions where Balwan Singh coached the men’s team — 2006, 2010 and 2014 — winning gold on all three occasions.
When will kabaddi be played at the Asian Games 2026?
Kabaddi is scheduled from September 21 to September 26, 2026, at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The group stage is scheduled for September 21-24, followed by the semi-finals on September 25 and the finals on September 26.
