India women’s kabaddi team targets Asian Games gold, says Pushpa Rana

India’s women’s kabaddi team is confident of defending its Asian Games gold in Aichi-Nagoya, with captain Pushpa Rana and Pooja Kajla drawing motivation from past successes. India opens its campaign against Bangladesh on September 21 before facing Iran and Japan

Hyderabad: As the Indian women’s kabaddi team gears up to represent the country at the upcoming 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, captain Pushpa Rana and Pooja Kajla believe the responsibility of defending India’s gold medal comes with confidence and motivation, with the team firmly setting its sights on the top spot.

Rana, who has been handed the responsibility of leading the 12-member squad, said the team had been preparing extensively by analysing opponents and working on areas of improvement identified by the coaching staff.

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“First of all, we practise according to the situation. We also analyse the videos of the upcoming matches. Our coaches also tell us about the shortcomings of the past and what needs to be improved. And now we are working on that. I think our team is well prepared,” said Rana.

Kabaddi has traditionally carried immense expectations at the Asian Games, with India having won 11 gold medals in the sport, including three in the women’s event. The Indian women’s team will look to defend the gold medal won in Hangzhou, where they edged Chinese Taipei 26-25 in the final.

The Indian women’s team also clinched the gold medal at the World Cup in November last year, and Rana believes the expectation to win again is a source of confidence rather than pressure.

“Yes, I feel that motivation. When our seniors have already done a good job, they have made their own history, so it is up to us to maintain that momentum. So, we see it as motivation, we don’t see it as pressure. We are also working hard to maintain that momentum,” she said.

Rana also highlighted the importance of experience within the squad as she takes on her first captaincy assignment. Having previously served as vice-captain, she said she continues to rely on the guidance of senior players such as Ritu Negi and Sonali Shingate to strengthen team bonding.

“I rely a lot on the seniors because they are already captains like Ritu Negi and Sonali Shingate. So, their advice is very important to me,” said Rana.

She also identified Chinese Taipei as one of the teams to watch, recalling the closely fought 26-25 final at the previous Asian Games.

For Arjuna awardee Pooja Kajla, the opportunity to win another Asian Games gold also carries the chance to inspire the next generation of women in sport.

“First of all, it is very important to win gold at the Asian Games. Along with that, as we talk about the girls of the cricket World Cup, there are also juniors who are very inspired by the success of Indian women in sport. So, if we bring gold, then small children get inspired by us and they will also ask their parents to let them play,” said Kajla.

Kajla also credited the team’s preparation at the strength and conditioning camp, organised jointly by the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) and Mashal Sports, the organisers of the Pro Kabaddi League, for helping the players build better habits around recovery and performance.

“They gave us a few more classes on sleep and recovery. So, I got to learn a lot from there,” she said.

The kabaddi contest at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will begin on September 21, with India’s women facing Bangladesh in their opening Group A fixture. They will then take on Iran on September 23 and Japan on September 24, before the semi-finals on September 25 and the gold medal match on September 26.

Asian Games squad: Pushpa Rana (captain), Ritu Negi, Sonali Shingate, Sanju Devi, Pooja Kajla, Ritu Sheoran, Jyoti Thakur, Pinki Roy, Manisha Kumari, Bhavna Thakur, Raj Rani and Nikita Kumari