11th Asian Kabaddi Championship: India reclaims the title with a victory over Iran in the Final

On the fourth and final day of the Asian Kabaddi Championship 2023, the action resumed with three league matches followed by the final at Busan, Korea on Friday.

India made a few changes to their starting 7 and rested a few of their top players, such as Pawan Sehrawat and Aslam Inamdar, in their last league game on Day 4. 

Up against Hong Kong in their last league stage encounter, a strong Indian team managed to inflict an early All-Out. The defending champions continued to raise the bar and made it difficult for the opposition to earn points. 

As a result, Hong Kong succumbed under pressure, and at the end of the first half, India proved to be a far superior side.

The Indian raiders and defenders then worked in tandem and continued to build pressure. Hong Kong tried their best to show some resistance and improved in the second half, but it just wasn't enough against the Indian team. 

India marched on with aplomb and continued their winning streak by completing a clean sweep in the league matches with a 64-20 win against Hong Kong.

Iran beat Japan with a scoreline of 71-13 in their last league match to book a berth in the Final.

In the rescheduled game from Day 3, Korea secured their first win of the campaign in a one-sided match with a 95-16 margin against Hong Kong to finish on a high.

Iran started aggressively, but India stood tall in the all-important Final. Pawan Sehrawat, the captain, helped India inflict the first All-Out with two touch points and took the score to 10-4. India kept building pressure on the Iranians and produced another All-Out. At the end of the first half, India led the final by 23-11.

The Iranian all-rounder, Mohammadreza Chiyaneh, tried to make a comeback for the Iranian side in the second half; however, they ended up conceding another All-Out, trailing by 33-14. The two teams were giving it their all in this high-voltage encounter, but India managed to defend their title with a 42-32 win over Iran.

11th Asian Kabaddi Championship 2023, Day 3 Results:

Match 1: India beat Hong Kong 64-20

Match 2: Iran beat Japan 71-13

Match 3: Korea beat Hong Kong 95-16

Final: India beat Iran 42-32