India continued to make progress across several sports on Day 6 of the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with September 25 bringing important developments in kabaddi, squash, boxing and weightlifting.
The Indian men's and women's kabaddi teams secured places in their respective gold medal matches after winning their semifinal encounters. The women's team defeated Nepal 48-24, while the men's team recorded a 66-27 victory over Thailand. The results put both Indian teams one step away from defending their Asian Games titles.
Kabaddi is one of India's strongest sports at the Asian Games, and both teams entered the knockout stage after progressing through the group phase. India had already secured semifinal places before the final group matches on September 24. The men's team had defeated Japan, the Republic of Korea and Bangladesh during the group stage, while the women's team had recorded victories over Bangladesh and Iran before completing the group campaign against Japan.
The women's semifinal against Nepal ended with India winning 48-24. The result booked India's place in the women's kabaddi final, where the team will compete for another Asian Games gold medal. The men's team followed with an even larger winning margin, defeating Thailand 66-27 to reach the men's final. Both gold medal matches are scheduled for September 26.
The Indian kabaddi teams entered the 2026 Asian Games as defending champions. India won both the men's and women's kabaddi gold medals at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. The women's team is also seeking to maintain its record in the event after winning every women's Asian Games kabaddi title since the discipline was introduced to the women's programme in 2010.
Squash also produced significant results for India on Day 6. Anahat Singh advanced to the women's singles semifinals after defeating compatriot Tanvi Khanna 3-0 in the quarterfinal. Anahat won the match 11-2, 11-5, 11-3 and completed the victory in 15 minutes. Her performance took her into the last four of the women's singles competition.
Abhay Singh also progressed to the men's singles semifinals. His advancement added another Indian representative to the final stages of the squash competition. India therefore had representation in both the women's and men's singles semifinal rounds.
The squash results were part of a busy schedule for the Indian contingent, with several athletes competing in knockout events across the day. Squash was among the sports providing India with medal opportunities as the Games moved deeper into the competition.
In boxing, India's Preeti Pawar faced North Korea's Pang Chol Mi in the women's 54kg Round of 16. Pawar, a Commonwealth Games champion, was eliminated after Pang secured a unanimous 5-0 victory. The result brought Preeti's campaign in the women's 54kg category to an end.
The bout was one of the scheduled boxing contests for India on September 25. Preeti had entered the event with previous international experience, but she was unable to progress to the quarterfinal stage after the unanimous decision went in favour of the North Korean boxer.
Weightlifting was another important event for India, with Seram Nirupama Devi competing in the women's 61kg Group A final. The event was scheduled for September 25 in Nagoya, with Nirupama representing India's challenge in the category.
During the clean and jerk section, Nirupama successfully lifted 120kg in her first attempt and followed it with a successful 124kg lift in her second attempt. According to the live update provided during the competition, she was fourth at that stage and was set to attempt 127kg in her third and final lift. The result of the complete weightlifting competition should be considered separately from the live updates because the standings can change after the final attempts.
Nirupama's appearance in the women's 61kg final was one of India's medal opportunities on Day 6. The weightlifting competition was part of a packed schedule that also included athletics, shooting, hockey, badminton, table tennis, surfing and other events.
India's Day 6 campaign also included the women's hockey team defeating Japan 3-1 in Pool B. That result secured India's place in the women's hockey semifinals and added another positive result to the day's competition.
The overall schedule highlighted India's presence across both team and individual sports. While kabaddi produced two final berths and squash produced semifinal appearances, the boxing result involving Preeti Pawar showed the competitive nature of the knockout stages. Weightlifting, meanwhile, remained a medal event where every successful attempt could affect the final standings.
The 2026 Asian Games are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with competitions taking place across multiple venues. The Games run from September 19 to October 4, with athletes from across Asia competing in a wide range of sports.
For India, the September 25 results were particularly significant because the kabaddi teams moved into the gold medal matches, while Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh progressed into the squash semifinals. These results ensure that India will have further medal opportunities as the competition moves towards its closing stages.
The kabaddi finals are scheduled for September 26. The women's final is scheduled for the morning session, while the men's final is scheduled later in the day. With both Indian teams reaching the gold medal matches, the focus will now shift to their final matches and their attempts to secure the top position in their respective events.
