India Beat Bangladesh 48-25, Seal Semi-Final Spot at Asian Games 2026

The Indian men's kabaddi team has continued its impressive start to the Asian Games 2026. After defeating Japan 49-24 in their opening match and South Korea 63-31 in their second, India completed a hat-trick of group-stage victories by beating Bangladesh 48-25 on Wednesday. The win not only keeps India's perfect record intact but also sends the defending champions into the semi-finals, confirming a medal for the Indian men's team.

India's three results so far:

Three matches, three wins.

India Lead 29-9 at Half-Time

India took control of the Bangladesh match early and established a substantial advantage before the break. The Indian team collected 18 out points and seven bonus points in the opening half and also inflicted two All-Outs on Bangladesh. Bangladesh, meanwhile, managed only five out points and three bonus points during the first half, along with a Super Tackle. As a result, India went into the interval with a commanding 29-9 lead. The 20-point advantage gave India a strong platform for the second half.

Bangladesh Fight Back, But India Stay in Control

Bangladesh improved considerably after the break and produced a stronger attacking performance. They scored 16 points in the second half, including eight out points and eight bonus points. India, however, continued to add points and scored another 19 points, including another All-Out. That ensured Bangladesh's second-half improvement did not threaten India's advantage, with the final scoreboard reading: 🇧🇩 Bangladesh 25-48 India 🇮🇳 India therefore completed a 23-point victory and secured their third consecutive Group A win.

Ayan Lohchab Leads India's Attack

Ayan Lohchab produced another standout performance for India. The supplied match graphic credits the young raider with a Super 10 and 12 raid points, making him India's top scorer against Bangladesh. Ashu Malik also reached a Super 10, finishing with 10 raid points.

The other notable contributions shown in the match statistics were:

• Ayan Lohchab — 12 raid points, Super 10
• Ashu Malik — 10 raid points, Super 10
• Devank Dalal — 7 raid points
• Rahul Sethpal — 4 tackle points

With multiple raiders contributing, India maintained pressure on Bangladesh throughout the contest.

India's Starting Seven Against Bangladesh

India began the match with the following seven:

1. Sunil Kumar (C)
2. Ayan Lohchab
3. Jaideep Dahiya
4. Devank Dalal
5. Sumit Sangwan
6. Rahul Sethpal
7. Ashu Malik

Substitutes: Pawan Sehrawat, Aslam Inamdar, Arjun Deshwal, Gaurav Khatri and Ankit Jaglan. India's starting combination retained several players who featured prominently in the opening two victories. During the second half, Arjun Deshwal replaced Devank Dalal, according to the match report.

India Confirm a Medal

With three victories from three matches, India have now booked their place in the Asian Games 2026 men's kabaddi semi-finals. The result also means India are guaranteed at least a bronze medal, with both losing semi-finalists receiving bronze in the kabaddi format.

India's Group A record now stands at:

India's final Group A match will be against Chinese Taipei on September 24. The match is scheduled for 9:45 AM IST, after which the semi-final pairings will be determined.

Three Matches, Three Statements

India's Asian Games 2026 campaign has now produced three consecutive victories:

49-24 vs Japan
63-31 vs South Korea
48-25 vs Bangladesh

The defending champions have therefore gone through their first three Group A matches without a defeat and have already secured a place in the knockout stage. The next challenge will be Chinese Taipei, before the semi-finals on September 25.

Quick Match Facts

India now move into the knockout stage with their perfect group-stage record intact, while their final group match against Chinese Taipei will decide their finishing position before the semi-finals.