India Beat South Korea 63-31 in Asian Games 2026 Kabaddi, Make It Two Wins in a Row

India delivered another commanding performance at the Asian Games 2026, defeating South Korea 63-31 in their second men's kabaddi match at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium. After opening their campaign with a 49-24 win over Japan, the Indian team once again controlled the contest from the early stages. The defending champions went into half-time with a 34-14 advantage before extending their lead further in the second half. India's 32-point winning margin also made it their second consecutive victory in Group A.

India Take Control in the First Half

India started aggressively and quickly established a sizeable lead. The Indian raiding unit repeatedly found points while the defence kept South Korea from building sustained momentum. India inflicted two All-Outs during the opening half, with the second arriving shortly before the interval. By half-time, the scoreboard read: South Korea 14-34 India The 20-point advantage gave India a strong platform heading into the second half. 

India Continue Their Dominance After the Break

South Korea managed to put together more points in the second half, but India remained firmly in control. India added another 29 points after the break while South Korea scored 17, allowing the Indian side to finish with a comprehensive 63-31 victory. According to match statistics reported by NDTV, India collected 38 points through successful raids, 17 bonus points, six points from All-Outs and two points from Super Tackles.

India vs South Korea: Starting Seven

India's starting seven for the match, as shown in the lineup provided, was:

1. Arjun Deshwal
2. Devank Dalal
3. Jaideep Dahiya
4. Rahul Sethpal
5. Ayan Lohchab
6. Sumit Sangwan
7. Sunil Kumar (Captain)

Substitutes: Ankit Jaglan, Pawan Sehrawat, Gaurav Khatri, Aslam Inamdar and Ashu Malik. Sunil Kumar is leading the Indian men's side at the Asian Games, with Pawan Sehrawat serving as vice-captain.

India vs South Korea Head-to-Head at Asian Games

India and South Korea have faced each other at multiple editions of the Asian Games, with the 2018 meeting standing out as a particularly notable result.

The head-to-head scores shown in the supplied graphic are:

The 2010 and 2014 results were Indian victories, while South Korea edged India 24-23 in the 2018 group stage. The 2018 defeat was significant in Asian Games kabaddi history because South Korea became the first team to defeat India in the men's event at the Asian Games. India ultimately finished with bronze that year, before returning to the top with gold at Hangzhou 2022. In 2026, India produced their biggest winning margin over South Korea in the four meetings shown in the supplied head-to-head graphic, finishing 63-31.

Two Wins From Two for India

With victories over Japan and South Korea, India now have two wins from two matches in Group A. The Indian men's team is in Group A alongside Japan, South Korea, Bangladesh and Chinese Taipei. Their next group-stage match is against Bangladesh on September 23, followed by Chinese Taipei on September 24. India entered the 2026 Asian Games as defending champions after winning gold at Hangzhou 2022. The men's team has won eight of the nine previous Asian Games kabaddi titles, with the only exception coming in 2018. 

Quick Match Facts

India's second consecutive win keeps their Asian Games 2026 campaign moving strongly as they continue their group-stage journey in Nagoya.