Pushpa Rana to lead Indian women's kabaddi team at Asian Games 2026
Pushpa Rana helped India win gold at the 2022 Asian Games.
India’s raiding sensation Pushpa Rana has been named the skipper of the Women’s Kabaddi Team for the Asian Games 2026 in Japan.
On Tuesday, the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India announced this news, and it has come as a surprise among the Kabaddi fraternity, as Ritu Negi was expected to continue as the skipper. Rana’s elevation from the vice-captaincy is a mark of respect for her domestic performances in the last few years.
Her growth has been steady, beginning at the 2022 Asian Games, when her successful raids in the final minutes helped India beat Chinese Taipei 26-25 to win the Gold Medal. It was a magnificent comeback after trailing 19-21 in the final few minutes.
Pushpa has performed well as captain in the National Games
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She has delivered not only as a raider but also as a captain in senior nationals. The 28-year-old leads the Himachal Pradesh state team and has guided them to three consecutive gold medals in the Nationals.
On her day, she would continue her raiding rampage and win games on her own. Meanwhile, on other days, she would work with her defence to plot the downfall of the opposition raiders.
Her captaincy credentials were visible in the Yuva Kabaddi Series in 2024. The second-generation Kabaddi star has been with the sport from a young age and showed her class leading her team, the Himalayan Tahrs.
She returned with incredible numbers, with 278 raid points, including 55 bonus points and a 96% raid strike rate.
Pushpa specialises in bonus points with her height and finesse hand touches, helping the team consistently score points. Her success as Himachal’s captain must have prompted the Federation to appoint her as the skipper for the Asian Games, as four of the 12 players in the announced squad are from her state.
Ritu Negi, Jyoti Thakur, and Bhavna Thakur are the other three players apart from the skipper herself. She, along with her teammates, will look to retain the Gold Medal come the games in Japan.
India will start as favourites, and it will be a wonderful way for the team to establish their dominance in the sport at the continental event.
Who is the captain of the Indian women’s kabaddi team for the Asian Games 2026?
Pushpa Rana is the captain of the Indian women’s kabaddi team for the Asian Games 2026.
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Like many 90s kids, Siddharth dreamt of being a cricketer but ended up studying Engineering. But his passion for sports never left him, as he started writing and talking about it. He worked as a commentator for the Tamil Nadu Premier League and has been writing about all other sports since 2017. Any day, if there is an Indian playing in any sport, Sid will be watching.