India's kabaddi captain Sunil Kumar has declared his squad battle-ready for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, asserting that years of structured preparation and Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) exposure have replaced anxiety with confidence ahead of what promises to be a fiercely contested tournament.

Preparations in Full Swing

The Indian team is currently in camp at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus in Gandhinagar, operating under the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI). The squad has already completed a key strength-and-conditioning phase at the IIS centre in Bellary, where individual weaknesses were identified and nutrition protocols were tightened.

'The better a player's fitness, the better he performs on the mat. At the IIS Bellary, we identified our weaknesses, worked on them individually, and got our nutrition right. That groundwork has made a real difference,' Sunil said.

The Weight of the Armband

Sunil, who holds the record for the most wins by a captain in Pro Kabaddi League history with 87 victories across Gujarat Giants, Jaipur Pink Panthers, and U Mumba, said the captaincy brings added responsibility rather than paralysing pressure.

'Representing India is a matter of pride, not just for me but for everyone who has helped me get here — my teachers, my family, my elder brother. This time I've also become captain, so the responsibility is bigger. But when a team has prepared the way we have, you don't feel that pressure. You just feel ready,' he said.

Sunil led Jaipur Pink Panthers to the PKL title in Season 9 in 2022, one of the defining milestones of his league career. That winning pedigree now travels with him onto the international mat.

How PKL Is Shaping International Performance

Sunil credited the Pro Kabaddi League with giving Indian players an exposure to high-pressure competition and international opponents that earlier generations lacked. 'PKL has given our players a platform they never had before. Playing 2-3 months of league every year, against foreign raiders and defenders, in pressure situations — that experience carries straight into the international arena. It's why this team walks in confident, not anxious,' he said.

This comes amid a broader shift in Indian kabaddi's structure, where the domestic league has increasingly served as a finishing school for national-team contenders, compressing the gap between domestic form and international readiness.

Iran: The Perennial Rival

In Sunil's assessment, Iran remains the most formidable threat in the competition. The two sides have produced some of the closest finishes in recent Asian Games history. 'Over the last three Asian Games, Iran has been our toughest rival. We won by two points in 2014, lost in 2018, and won by four points in 2023. It would mean a lot to beat them again, and to do it with a strong margin,' he said.

Notably, the India-Iran rivalry has defined the contours of Asian kabaddi for over a decade, with margins rarely exceeding single digits in the gold-medal clash.

The Squad

India's kabaddi squad for the 2026 Asian Games is: Sunil Kumar (captain), Pawan Sehrawat, Ankit Jaglan, Aslam Inamdar, Ashu Malik, Ayan Lohchab, Devank Dalal, Arjun Deshwal, Jaideep Dahiya, Rahul Sethpal, Gaurav Khatri, and Sumit Sangwan.

With a star-studded roster and a captain who has seen gold and silver from the closest of margins, India will head to Aichi-Nagoya as heavy favourites — but knowing that Iran will be waiting.