Deepak Sankar included as standby in Indian men's kabaddi team for Asian Games 2026

Deepak Sankar delivered a brilliant performance in PKL 12.

Bengaluru Bulls’ star defender Deepak Sankar has been included as a standby player in the Indian men’s kabaddi team for the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya.

The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) announced this news on Friday, after controversy broke over his exclusion from the side for the continental event.

The Asian Games 2026 is now less than a month away, and the Indian men’s kabaddi team are gearing up for this event. The Kabaddi events at the Asian Games will take place from September 21 to 26.

Kabaddi is India’s most successful sport in terms of winning percentage, and expectations for the Indian team to win the gold medal are very high.

Controversies over player exclusions

It was a 12-member squad, and many eyebrows were raised after the announcement over the exclusion of a few players. Players like Naveen Kumar, Deepak Sankar, Shubham Shinde, and Surjeet Singh were expected to be included in the squad, but they did not make the cut.

While many point to the squad size restriction as the primary reason, there were multiple questions about Deepak’s exclusion.

The Tamil Nadu defender has been in scintillating form over the last 12 months. With 64 points in 19 matches, he was named the ‘Best Emerging Player’ of Pro Kabaddi League Season 12.

Deepak’s form demands his inclusion

The left-corner defender continued his good form in the senior Nationals for Tamil Nadu, helping his state win games. However, his name was not on the list because the selectors chose the duo of Ankit Jaglan and Sumit Sangwan instead of the young player.

As questions were raised, his state association, Tamil Nadu Kabaddi Association (TNKA), officially wrote to AKFI seeking clarification.

AKFI has clarified that Deepak was picked as a standby for this quadrennial event. The national body for Kabaddi also affirmed that the selection process was fair, with all head coaches and concerned officials involved during the selection trials. The selected squad has been chosen with overall needs in mind.

The clarification came swiftly because of the controversies surrounding selection during the 2018 Asian Games. India failed to reach the final for the first time at the 2018 Asian Games, and the team selection raised many questions.

Now, Indian kabaddi fans will hope that the selected team bring home the gold medal once again.

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