Lalan Singh hails India women's kabaddi gold at Asian Games 2026
Synopsis
India's women kabaddi team won gold at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya by defeating Iran, prompting Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) to salute the team as proof that 'India is a superpower of kabaddi.'
Key Takeaways
The Indian women's kabaddi team won gold at the 2026 Asian Games held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan .
India defeated Iran in the final, extending the country's record of continental dominance in kabaddi.
Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) posted his congratulations on September 26, 2026 .
Singh described India as a 'superpower of kabaddi' and celebrated the win as a testament to 'our daughters.' Both Indian men's and women's kabaddi teams have historically collected multiple gold medals at Asian Games editions.
India's women kabaddi team delivered gold at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, defeating Iran in the final to reaffirm the country's stranglehold on continental kabaddi. Union Panchayati Raj and Fisheries Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh was among the first to salute the achievement on Saturday, September 26, 2026, calling it a 'golden gambit by the daughters' of India.
Posting in Hindi on X, the senior Janata Dal (United) leader wrote: 'कबड्डी में बेटियों का गोल्डन दांव!' — 'A golden gambit by our daughters in kabaddi!' He extended his 'heartfelt congratulations to the Indian women's kabaddi team for winning the gold medal at the Asian Games by defeating Iran,' adding that the team had 'once again proved that India is a superpower of kabaddi.'
India's unbroken grip on Asian kabaddi
The gold is consistent with a pattern of near-total Indian dominance in kabaddi at the Asian Games. Both the men's and women's national squads have collected multiple gold medals across previous editions of the tournament, and the sport — indigenous to the subcontinent — is widely regarded as an area where India enters every competition as the team to beat.
Iran has long been one of the few nations capable of pushing India in the women's draw, making a final-stage victory over them particularly significant. The win consolidates India's status as the benchmark against which every other Asian kabaddi programme measures itself.
Ministers, national pride, and the politics of sporting gold
Rajiv Ranjan Singh's portfolio — Panchayati Raj, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying — sits far from the sports ministry, yet the public congratulation is deliberate and familiar. Senior cabinet figures from across the government routinely use marquee sporting victories to signal alignment with national pride, particularly when the winners are women athletes whose success carries an added symbolic charge in public discourse.
The minister's use of the phrase 'बेटियों' (daughters) — echoing a frame that has become central to how Indian policy and political communication celebrate women's achievement — underscores that dynamic. 'जय हिंद!' ('Victory to India!') was his closing salvo.
India's kabaddi daughters went to Aichi-Nagoya and came back with gold. The next question is whether this continental crown translates into expanded domestic infrastructure and league investment — because champions deserve arenas worthy of them.
Point of View
A Bihar-based party where kabaddi has deep grassroots resonance, the optics of celebrating the gold are doubly useful. The real policy test, however, will come when attention turns to whether government investment in kabaddi infrastructure and the women's domestic league keeps pace with the championship rhetoric.
NationPress
26 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Did India win gold in women's kabaddi at the 2026 Asian Games?
Yes, the Indian women's kabaddi team won the gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, defeating Iran in the final.
Where are the 2026 Asian Games being held?
The 2026 Asian Games are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Who is Lalan Singh and why did he congratulate the kabaddi team?
Lalan Singh is the common name for Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Union Minister of Panchayati Raj, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and a senior JD(U) leader. He posted congratulations on X to celebrate India's gold medal win in women's kabaddi.
Has India won kabaddi gold at the Asian Games before?
Yes, India has historically dominated kabaddi at the Asian Games, with both men's and women's national teams winning multiple gold medals across previous editions of the tournament.
Which country did India beat in the women's kabaddi final at Asian Games 2026?
India defeated Iran in the women's kabaddi final at the 2026 Asian Games.
