India Thrash South Korea 63-31 in Kabaddi to Stay Perfect at Asian Games 2026

India's men's kabaddi team continued its dominant title defence at the Asian Games 2026, thrashing South Korea 63-31 in a Group A fixture at the Tokai Citizen Gymnasium in Aichi on Tuesday.

A one-sided contest

Captain Sunil Kumar's side never allowed South Korea to settle, racing to a commanding 34-14 lead at the interval built on 23 raid points and seven bonus points in the opening half alone, along with two all-outs. The dominance continued after the break, with India's raiding unit finishing the match with 38 out points against South Korea's 23. The defence was equally clinical, repeatedly stalling Korean attacks with a string of successful tackles that never let the opposition build any momentum.

The 32-point margin of victory made it India's second commanding win in as many matches, following an opening 49-24 win over hosts Japan on Day 1 of the competition. With two wins from two group games, India — the reigning Asian Games champions in men's kabaddi — sit firmly atop Group A, which also includes Bangladesh and Chinese Taipei.

Part of a broader medal push

The kabaddi win added to a strong showing for India across the Games on Tuesday. The women's kabaddi team also began its campaign with a win over Bangladesh on the tournament's opening day, while India's shooters added to the country's medal tally with team silvers in both the men's and women's 10m air rifle events. Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod claimed silver in the women's event, while Himanshu Dhillon, Rudrankksh Patil and Parth Mane did the same in the men's competition, with Himanshu and Rudrankksh going on to add individual silver and bronze medals respectively.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, India's women's cricket team took on Sri Lanka in the gold medal final, a rematch of the Hangzhou 2023 title clash, while the men's hockey team faced Sri Lanka and India's badminton pairs pushed for a place in the medal rounds against Japan.

Why it matters

Kabaddi remains one of India's most reliable medal sports at the Asian Games, and the men's team has now opened its title defence with two dominant performances that leave little doubt about its intentions. With the format built around round-robin group play before knockouts, converting these early wins into net score advantage could prove valuable if the competition tightens in the medal rounds. For now, though, India's kabaddi campaign is exactly on script — comprehensive wins, minimal scares, and a defence that has yet to be seriously tested at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.

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