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The Indian mens kabaddi team will take on familiar foes Iran in the final of the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, the Peoples Republic of China on Saturday.

The India vs Iran kabaddi final will be played at Xiaoshan Guali Sports Centre at 12:30 PM IST on Saturday. The IND vs IRI match will be available on live streaming and live telecast in India.

India have been the most dominant kabaddi team in Asian Games history. Indian men won seven successive gold medals since kabaddi was introduced at the Asian Games at Beijing 1990 but their juggernaut was halted by Iran at Jakarta 2018.

India lost to Iran 27-18 in the semi-finals of the 2018 Asian Games for bronze. However, Indias squad for the Asian Games 2023 kabaddi features a completely different set of players.

Indian kabaddi team captain Pawan Sehrawat leads the 12-member squad that includes seasoned raiders from Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Naveen Kumar, Arjun Deshwal and Aslam Inamdar. The defence is being manned by vice-captain Sunil Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal.

En route to the final at Hangzhou 2023, India beat Pakistan in the semi-finals. They topped their group unbeaten with wins over Thailand, Bangladesh, Chinese Taipei and Japan.

Meanwhile, Iran, led by their star defender Fazel Atrachali and all-rounders Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh and Mohammad Reza Shadlu, produced the goods against Chinese Taipei in the semi-finals. They also went unbeaten in the group with wins over Pakistan, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea.

Fazel Atrachali, as captain, and Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh were part of the gold medal-winning Iran kabaddi team at the 2018 Asian Games.

India will also play the final in the womens kabaddi event. The Indian womens kabaddi team, led by Ritu Negi, will play Chinese Taipei in the final. The two sides played out a tie in the group stages. Chinese Taipei showed the door to 2018 champions Iran in the semi-finals and will play for gold against two-time champions India.

The womens Asian Games 2023 kabaddi final will also be held on Saturday.

Excerpt from:
India vs Iran kabaddi, Asian Games 2023 final: Where to watch live ... - Olympics