Well, this is it from the men's kabaddi final at the Asian Games 2026! We hope you liked our coverage of the game. The kabaddi event ends here, but not the tournament. We have athletics underway in Japan, with India eyeing more medals. To stay connected to our dedicated athletics blog, CLICK HERE.

Goodbye!

This final between India and Iran was a tense affair, with the scores tied at 20-20 at one stage before the defending champions managed to gain the upper hand and secure another gold.

They have done it! Indian men's team has successfully defended its kabaddi gold medal! The side beats Iran 40-34 in the thrilling final.

What a day this is for Indian kabaddi! The women's team beat Iran in the morning to defend its gold medal, and the men's team comes up with a similar result now.

Aslam does it! The verdict goes in India's favour and this nearly seals the gold medal for them. India have a massive nine-point lead with just 1 minute and 41 seconds left on the clock.

Brilliant from Aslam! He wastes time and then touches the midline. This is terrific. This might be the game for India as Aslam ends up touching multiple defenders. Okay, wait! The match officials are checking it. If this goes in India's favour, expect it to be the final nail in Iran's coffin. Keep your fingers crossed, folks!

With an eight-point lead, India are not rushing. Their raiders are smartly wasting time in the opponents' half. We are into the final four minutes of the game.

India 36-28

Well, this is some magical performance from India here! They have extended their lead to seven points. The defending champions are 32-25 ahead of Iran. We have only eight minutes left on the clock. A gold medal loading?

Superb tackle from India and Iran are all out with this! India get three bonus points and move into a 29-24 lead. The defending champions are well in command with around 10 minutes of action left in this final.

India 29-24

A brilliant tackle from India and Iran have been reduced to two men. India follow it with a good raid and take 26-23 lead.

India 26-23

India with a successful raid as Aslam manages to pick up a point, pulling the hosts level with Iran in the second half of the men's kabaddi gold-medal match. It's 20-20 now, with the contest finely poised as both teams continue to trade blows in a tense battle for the title.

The first half of the Asian Games 2026, men's kabaddi final has ended and Iran has taken 18-17 lead against India. A few seconds before the whistle, Amirmohammad Zafardanesh goes for the tackle and succesfully gets a point for Iran. Stay tuned we will be back with the second half. 

WHAT A CONTEST THIS IS!!! Iran have successfully managed to take a lead over India. Amirmohammad Zafardanesh gets two Indian out and registers the first all out of the match. Iran get a total of four points, take 14-13 lead against India. 

Arjun Deshwal yet again shows why he is called a star player. The Iranian defenders attempt a knee hold against him, but Deshwal's brilliance shines through as he wriggles free and earns a valuable point for India. India lead 11-9 against Iran. 

WOAH!!! A terrific supertackle from India as they take back the lead. Jaideep and Sunil combine brilliantly for a super tackle, helping India move ahead 10-8. At last, a moment of relief for Sunil Kumar and his men, while Iran are left stunned by the setback. Scores read 10-8 in favour of India. 

PLayers of both the teams are piling pressure on the referee to earn every single point. This finale is turning to be a heated encounter. However, the scores are currently levelled 8-8 with both India and Iran aiming to go ahead. 

Devank appears visibly frustrated and insists that he got a touch on Iran's Amirhossein Bastami. The officials have currently awarded a penalty against Iran. Meanwhile, India captain Sunil Kumar has also received a warning as tensions continue to rise between the two sides. Scores 6-5 in favour of India. 

Iran star Ali Samadi gets a crucial point, making the scores level 5-5 against India. Ali Samadi continues to test the Indian defence. This time, he lures Gaurav Khatri into attempting a leg grab, but the Iranian breaks free and crosses the midline.

WOAH!!! A terrific move from India as they make it 4-4 against Iran. Three Indian players were very clear in their approach and smartly trapped an Iranian raider, got two points. 

After India's early lead, Iran did not stay silent for long as Ali Samadi brings a crucial point for his side. It is just few early minutes of the match and both the teams are giving their level best to clinch every point. Scores: 2-1 in favour of India. 

And the opening whistle has been blown as the Asian Games 2026, men's kabaddi final between India and Iran begins. India are also off to a good start as Iran star Mohammadreza Shadloui is brilliantly tackled. 2-0 lead for India. 

Fazel Atrachali (c), Mohammadesmaeil Nabibakhsh, Reza Mirbhageri, Omid Khojastehmohammadshah, Amirhossein Taghipour, Amirreza Aliakbari, Alireza Mirzaiean, Mohammadreza Shadloui, Ali Samadi, Amirhossein Bastami, Amirhossein Ejlali, Amirmohammad Zafar. 

India's lineup: Arjun Deshwal, Devank, Jaideep, Rahul, Ayan, Sumit, Sunil Kumar (c), Ankit, Pawan Kumar, Gaurav Khatri, Aslam Inamdar, Ashu Malik.

The win extended India's dominance in women's kabaddi, with the team now having won gold at all five editions since the sport made its Asian Games debut at Guangzhou 2010, except in 2018 when Iran ended their run in the Jakarta final. Iran have emerged as India’s toughest rivals in a sport that is increasingly looking towards an Olympic future, but on Saturday their relative inexperience proved costly.

India refused to surrender their Asian Games women's kabaddi crown, exposing Iran's weak flank and then holding their nerve in a tense finish to clinch a record-extending fourth gold with a 37-34 victory in the final in Nagoya on Saturday.

India are the defending champions in kabaddi at the ongoing Asian Games. Men's kabaddi has been a part of the Asiad roster since 1990 with India winning eight golds so far. The only other nation to have secured gold apart from India in the competition is Iran, which finished on top in 2018. India had stunningly settled for a bronze in that edition. 

Indian men's kabaddi team booked their title defence clash at the ongoing Asian Games 2026 at Aichi-Nagoya on Friday, thrashing Thailand in a largely one-sided semifinal. India defeated Thailand 66-28, and the eight-time men's kabaddi champions at the Asian Games will now defend their crown against Iran. 

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Asian Games 2026, men's kabaddi final between India and Iran, straight from the Tokai Citizen Gymnasium. Stay tuned for all the live updates.