Sonepat : Ahead of the 2026 Asian Games, the Iran national women’s kabaddi team took part in a series of practice matches at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Sonepat centre. The purpose of the six-day practice camp was to ensure a valuable cross-border learning ground for both nations, looking forward to strong performances at the games in Aichi-Nagoya.
The Iranian team arrived in Sonepat on August 13, playing practice games against the Indian women’s kabaddi team as well as other local sides at the SAI campus. The practice games, while primarily intended to prepare Iran for the Asian Games, also provided Indian players with the opportunity to test themselves against an international side and gain experience of different playing styles and tactics.
Iran women’s team head coach Gholamreza Mazandarani said the camp had been particularly useful for his young squad, with more than 80 per cent of the team changed since the previous Asian Games. “For us, it is a very good chance to play friendly matches, improve the players and improve our team tactics. We want to show a better team in the Asian Games. It has been a good experience for our team because our team is very young now and we have changed maybe more than 80 per cent of the team from the last Asian Games,” Mazandarani told SAI Media.
Mazandarani added the sheer depth of India’s kabaddi ecosystem gives Indian players a major advantage, with athletes getting far more competitive matches during the year than their Iranian counterparts. “In Iran we have around 3,000 to 4,000 kabaddi players in men and women. But here, I feel maybe you have more than 10 million kabaddi players. This is a very big number,” he added. “One kabaddi player in India, whether teenager, junior or senior, maybe has more than 50-60 matches in a year. This is a big point for them. They can improve their skills during the matches,” Mazandarani continued.
India women’s kabaddi team coach Naveen Kumar remarked that the experience of playing practice games against Iran would stand out to be very beneficial for the girls. “Most of our new players are at the junior level and they got an opportunity to learn a lot from playing against the Iranian team. They got to understand how Iran plays and it also gave us an idea of how our young squad needs to prepare for the future. The matches were very good and we are very happy with the experience,” the Indian coach told SAI Media.
“The Iranian team also had players who have featured in three Asian Games, so they have a lot of experience. Their fitness, strength and explosive power are very good and our young players can learn a lot from them. The dedication and energy with which these players compete is also something our youngsters can learn from. Overall, it was a very useful experience for our team.”
For Iran, the camp also provided an opportunity to acclimatise to conditions that are different from home. Iran player Zahra Karimi, visiting India for the third time, also underlined the value of the exposure. “One of the biggest differences between Iran and India is that we don’t have so many players in Iran and we can’t compete with different players. India can play with different players and different teams. India also has national games in their own country, which is very good for them, but we don’t have that,” she mentioned to SAI Media.
“I think the SAI Academy is a very good place for athletes. I saw athletes from other sports staying here, practising and living here. It is very good because they can only think about their sport. I also saw very good equipment here,” she said.
Coach Mazandarani, meanwhile, hoped such exchanges can become a longer-term feature of kabaddi’s international development. “I think the base of kabaddi is in India. Every coach and every player who wants to improve and come to the top level needs to come to India,” he said. “Maybe in the long term, two or three months, we can continue, make strategy with the Iran team, improve the players and play friendly matches with local teams and the best players. This can improve kabaddi in every corner of the world.”
