India women beat Iran 37-23 in Asian Games kabaddi

India's defending champion women's kabaddi team defeated Iran 37-23 in a Group A match at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium on Wednesday, moving closer to a semifinal berth at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya. Iran opened strongly, taking an 8-4 lead before Pooja's Super Raid reduced the deficit and a follow-up raid levelled the scores. India took a 19-15 lead into halftime and outscored Iran 18-8 in the second half, finishing with seven bonus points, four All Out points and a Super Tackle point. The result marked India's first victory over Iran by more than 10 points. The win followed India's opening Group A match on September 21, when the women's team beat Bangladesh 42-21 to begin its title defence. India led 21-10 at halftime and secured two All Out points, with Sanju Devi and Pooja among the leading contributors. Live coverage of that match noted uneven refereeing and several stoppages. Iran also opened its campaign with a win over Bangladesh, taking that Group A contest 54-19. On the men's side, India began its campaign with a 49-24 victory over host Japan and recorded a 48-25 win over Bangladesh in its third Group A match, after building an early 29-9 lead.