India's daughters made history on the kabaddi mat — and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was among the first to salute the moment. On Saturday, 26 September 2026, Mann took to X to congratulate the Indian women's kabaddi team after they defeated Iran in the final of the 2026 Asian Games, claiming gold and etching a fourth consecutive continental title into the record books.

Writing in Punjabi, Mann declared: 'Our daughters have created history by winning gold for the fourth time at the Asian Games in the mother sport kabaddi. This magnificent achievement has lifted the head of the entire nation with pride.' The emotion in those lines is unmistakable — kabaddi is not merely a sport in Punjab; it is cultural bedrock, a game played in every village square and celebrated at every harvest festival.

A Fourth Gold That Writes Its Own Chapter

India's women have now stood atop the Asian Games kabaddi podium four times — a streak of dominance that speaks to decades of structured training and deep grassroots participation. The team defeated Iran in the final, a side that has grown into one of Asia's fiercest challengers in the sport. That India held firm signals not just talent, but tactical maturity and the pressure-tested experience that comes from back-to-back championship campaigns.

Kabaddi's continental record for India's women mirrors the broader Indian story in the sport: relentless at the top, even as rival nations have narrowed the gap with improved coaching and physical conditioning programmes of their own. Each gold adds another layer to a legacy the next generation of players will inherit — and will be expected to protect.

Mann's Pledge and the 'Rangla Punjab' Vision

Mann used the moment to restate his government's commitment to athletes: 'Our government is fully committed to providing every world-class facility to players.' The statement carries specific weight from a state that regards kabaddi as its maan-khel — mother sport — and where CM Mann has repeatedly linked sporting excellence to a broader cultural revival he calls 'Rangla Punjab' (vibrant, colourful Punjab).

He closed with a rallying call — 'Let us together take our mother sport further forward and recreate our Rangla Punjab' — before signing off with the Aam Aadmi Party's characteristic political salute: Inquilab Zindabad (Long live the revolution). The blend of sport, culture, and political identity in a single post is deliberate; for Mann, every gold medal is also a data point in Punjab's revival story.

Why Kabaddi's International Rise Matters Beyond the Medal

The sport's growing competitive depth across Asia — from Iran and South Korea to Bangladesh — reflects the disciplined investment several nations have made since the game entered the Asian Games programme. For India, retaining supremacy demands more than tradition; it demands the kind of scientific support infrastructure that Mann is publicly pledging. Whether Punjab's state machinery translates that pledge into training centres, stipends, and elite competition access will be the real scorecard to watch.

For now, though, the gold is real, the victory over Iran is emphatic, and India's women have done precisely what champions do — show up at the biggest moment and deliver.