Himachal's Pushpa Rana captains India to women's kabaddi gold at the Asian Games
26 September 2026
India's women's kabaddi team beat Iran 37-34 in the final of the 2026 Asian Games to win the gold medal. The win successfully defended the title India won at the Hangzhou edition. The team was captained by Pushpa Rana of Himachal Pradesh. Captain Pushpa Rana, Jyoti Thakur and Bhawna Thakur are associated with the Sports Authority of India's National Centre of Excellence in Dharamshala. Another member, Ritu Negi, hails from Sirmaur district. Players at SAI Dharamshala watched the final together and celebrated the win.
Final score:
India 37, Iran 34
Captain:
Pushpa Rana
Previous title:
Hangzhou edition
Training centre:
SAI National Centre of Excellence, Dharamshala
Why it matters for exams: Asian Games medal winners, finals and captains are standard sports questions; the State link makes it a State Focus fact.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
SAI Sports Authority of India — The Union government body that runs national training centres for athletes.