The Iran women's kabaddi team completed a six-day joint training camp with the India women's kabaddi team at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Sonepat centre, with both squads using the session as direct Asian Games 2026 preparation. The Iranian side arrived in Sonepat on 13 August and played a series of practice matches against the Indian team as well as local sides at the SAI campus ahead of the games in Aichi-Nagoya.

Purpose and Structure of the Camp

The camp was designed as a cross-border learning exercise, giving both nations competitive match exposure under conditions closer to international competition. Beyond the India-Iran fixtures, the Iranian squad also faced local club sides, broadening their tactical exposure ahead of the Asian Games.

For the Indian side, the camp offered a rare opportunity to test a largely young squad against an international opponent, helping coaches assess readiness and identify areas for improvement before the continental showpiece.

Iran Coach on a Rebuilt Squad

Iran women's team head coach Gholamreza Mazandarani described the camp as especially valuable given the scale of change his side has undergone since the last Asian Games. 'For us, it is a very good chance to play friendly matches, improve the players and improve our team tactics. We want to show a better team in the Asian Games. It has been a good experience for our team because our team is very young now and we have changed maybe more than 80 per cent of the team from the last Asian Games,' Mazandarani said.

He also highlighted the structural depth advantage India holds. 'In Iran we have around 3,000 to 4,000 kabaddi players in men and women. But here, I feel maybe you have more than 10 million kabaddi players,' he noted. 'One kabaddi player in India, whether a teenager, junior or senior, maybe has more than 50-60 matches in a year. This is a big point for them. They can improve their skills during the matches,' he added.

India Coach Highlights Value for Young Players

India women's kabaddi team coach Naveen Kumar said the exposure to Iran's playing style would prove particularly beneficial for his younger charges. 'Most of our new players are at the junior level, and they got an opportunity to learn a lot from playing against the Iranian team. They got to understand how Iran plays, and it also gave us an idea of how our young squad needs to prepare for the future. The matches were very good, and we are very happy with the experience,' Kumar said.

He also pointed to the experience within the Iranian squad. 'The Iranian team also had players who have featured in three Asian Games, so they have a lot of experience. Their fitness, strength and explosive power are very good, and our young players can learn a lot from them,' he added.

Iranian Player Praises SAI Facilities

Iran player Zahra Karimi, visiting India for the third time, underlined the value of the exposure camp from a player's perspective. 'One of the biggest differences between Iran and India is that we don't have so many players in Iran and we can't compete with different players. India can play with different players and different teams,' she said. Karimi also praised the SAI campus infrastructure, noting the focused training environment it provides to resident athletes across sports.

A Model for Kabaddi's Global Growth

Coach Mazandarani expressed hope that such bilateral exchanges could evolve into longer-term arrangements. 'I think the base of kabaddi is in India. Every coach and every player who wants to improve and come to the top level needs to come to India,' he said, adding that extended camps of two to three months could help raise the standard of kabaddi across the world. With Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya on the horizon, both teams will look to carry the momentum from Sonepat into the competition.