India beat Iran to win Asian Kabaddi Championship in Busan, South Korea
India beat Iran 42-32 in the final of the Asian Kabaddi Championship 2023 in Busan, Korea, today. This is India’s eighth title in nine editions. Indian captain Pawan Sehrawat led from the front with a super 10. A couple of tackle points by defenders and successful raids from Pawan Sehrawat and Aslam Inamdar handed Iran their first all-out of the match in the 10th minute.
Earlier in the day, India had beaten Hong Kong 64-20 to end the league stage of the tournament undefeated.
Six teams – India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong – participated in the Championships. India won all five matches in the league stage and topped the points table. Iran came second, only losing to India in the league stage, and made to the final. While India’s biggest win in the league stage, a 76-13 victory, came against Korea on the opening day of the tournament, their narrowest victory of 33-28 came against Iran yesterday.
The next big challenge for the Indian kabaddi teams will be the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8. Iran, who beat India in the semi-finals in Jakarta in 2018, will be the defending champions at the continental multi-sport showpiece.
