Asian Games 2026: India's 501-strong athletes eye medal glory

Manu Bhaker, Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Harmanpreet Kaur

[popcorn number="779" desc="No. of medals won by India across the 19 Asian Games editions so far (183 gold, 239 silver, and 357 bronze)" class="Default"]

Badminton
Badminton carries significant expectations. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will seek to defend their Hangzhou men's doubles gold. PV Sindhu brings vast multi-sport experience, while youngsters such as Unnati Hooda represent the next generation.

Hockey
The men, defending champions led by Harmanpreet Singh, will look to put recent World Cup and Pro League disappointments behind them and win gold, securing automatic qualification for the Los Angeles Olympics. The women will aim to improve on their Hangzhou bronze.

Boxing
Indian women boxers arrive with confidence after their strong Glasgow Commonwealth Games showing. The men are also expected to contribute to the medal tally.

Kabaddi
India's men remain a dominant force in Asian kabaddi. After their title run was interrupted in 2018, they reclaimed gold in Hangzhou and will look to retain the crown in Aichi-Nagoya.

Shooting
The shooting contingent blends youth and experience, led by double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker. With 30 shooters across rifle, pistol and shotgun, India will target another strong medal haul.

Athletics
The 74-member contingent includes several medal contenders. Tajinderpal Singh Toor will bid for a third successive Asian Games gold in shot put. Murali Sreeshankar, Gulveer Singh, Rohit Yadav, Tejaswin Shankar, and Ancy Sojan will also carry medal hopes.

Archery
Asian archery has some powerhouses like China, South Korea and Chinese Taipei, but India should still excel here. In Hangzhou, India swept all five gold medals in compound archery. Jyothi Surekha Vennam, 30, who won three of the five gold medals in Hangzhou, could rule again.

Cricket
With cricket set to make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028, the Asian Games provide an important platform. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women's team has stressed the importance of the Games. The men return with unfinished business after winning gold in Hangzhou when their final against Afghanistan was washed out and India were awarded the title as the higher-ranked side. A full-strength team will now look to settle matters on the field.

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