Indian shooters added two individual medals at the Asian Games 2026 as Himanshu Dhillon won silver and Rudrankksh Patil claimed bronze in the men’s 10m air rifle event on September 21. Patil led for much of the final while chasing India’s first gold, but a 9.7 score dropped him to third. He finished with 230.9 points, while Dhillon secured silver with 252.4. China’s Sheng Lihao won gold with 252.2 points. The result marked India’s third shooting medal of the day after Patil, Dhillon and Parth Mane won silver in the men’s 10m air rifle team event. India’s women had earlier won two silver medals in the event at the Asian Games.

Suchika Tariyal won India’s first Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) medal at the Asian Games, securing bronze in the women’s traditional -60kg event on Monday. The 36-year-old Indian lost her semi-final against Singapore’s Teo Hui Hoon after the bout went into overtime, with judges ruling against her. Tariyal had earlier assured a medal by defeating Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarterfinals. The 2026 Asian Games mark MMA’s debut at the continental event. Tariyal made her MMA debut in 2017 before taking a seven-year break while continuing in judo and jiu-jitsu. She returned to professional MMA in 2024 after signing with BRAVE Combat Federation and competed at BRAVE CF 92 in Bahrain.

Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj has qualified for the men's 50m backstroke final at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. He finished third in his heat in 25.37 seconds, and was joint-ninth across all three heats. Teammate Rishabh Das clocked 25.41 seconds, finishing fourth in his heat, and is a reserve for the final. In sepaktakraw, India began their three-regu series against Japan in Group B with a 2-0 win. India's wushu contingent, however, had a tough day with several losses.

India will face Pakistan in both the women's and men's table tennis team events at the Asian Games on Monday, September 21, at 6:30 AM and 3:30 PM respectively. Shooting offers early medal chances, with the men's 10m air rifle team and individual finals, plus the first day of skeet team events. The women's hockey team meets Indonesia, while the men's kabaddi team plays Japan and the badminton team opens against Bangladesh. Suchika Tariyal plays a traditional MMA semifinal, Sumit begins his boxing campaign, and Indian swimmers feature in heats and possible finals. (PC: India Today)

Suchika Tariyal made history at the Asian Games by becoming India’s first MMA medallist. The 36-year-old defeated Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the women’s traditional -60kg quarterfinal. The win secured her at least a bronze medal. Tariyal began judo after facing harassment at the age of 12. She later became an eight-time national judo champion and won medals in international events. She also won gold at the 2024 Jiu-Jitsu World Championships. After stepping away from MMA for seven years, she returned in 2024. She now has a chance to reach the Asian Games final with another win.  

India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams wore saffron jerseys at the Asian Games 2026 on Sunday. The move renewed a controversy over the team’s kit colour. Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey had earlier said blue would be India’s primary kit, with orange as the second choice. However, reports said saffron is the main colour for the Asian Games, while white and sky blue are the other colours. Hockey India sources said the saffron and white-blue kits had already been approved. The jersey change has faced criticism in recent months. Officials said the change was linked to better ball visibility on blue pitches.  

India’s Elavenil Valarivan won silver in the women’s 10m air rifle final at the Asian Games on Sunday. The 27-year-old led for most of the final but lost the top spot in the last four shots. Japan’s Taichi Hinata won gold with 253.0 points, setting a new Games record. Elavenil scored 252.4 points, while South Korea’s Ban Hyojin took bronze. The medal was Elavenil’s second of the day after she helped India win team silver. Her individual silver is only the second silver for India in this event since Gagan Narang’s 2010 medal.  

Indian fighter Suchika Tariyal secured India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in Mixed Martial Arts by reaching the women’s Traditional MMA 60kg semifinal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games on September 20. The 36-year-old defeated Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarterfinal. Tariyal maintained her composure under pressure and used a crucial reversal to control her opponent and seal victory. Reaching the semifinals guarantees at least a bronze medal, with the two losing semifinalists receiving bronze. MMA is making its Asian Games debut in 2026. Tariyal will compete in the semifinal on Monday, with a place in the final at stake. (PC: X)

India made a strong start at the Asian Games 2026, winning two silver medals on Day 1. Shooter Elavenil Valarivan took silver in the women's 10m air rifle individual event, after earlier helping India win team silver with Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod. The women's cricket team beat Bangladesh by 114 runs in the semi-final and will face Sri Lanka for gold. Suchika Tariyal's quarterfinal win in mixed martial arts guaranteed another medal. The men's hockey team thrashed Indonesia 13-1. In swimming, Rishabh Das finished sixth in the 100m backstroke final, while India's teqball players missed out on bronze. (PC: NDTV)

India stormed into the women’s cricket final at the Asian Games 2026 after beating Bangladesh by 114 runs in the semi-final in Nisshin on Sunday. Batting first, India scored 195 for four, with Shafali Verma smashing her maiden T20I century. She remained unbeaten on 100 from 49 balls, hitting nine sixes and three fours. Smriti Mandhana added 37, while captain Harmanpreet Kaur scored 40 off 33 balls. Bangladesh struggled in the chase and were bowled out for 81 in 15.4 overs. Nandani Sharma and Deepti Sharma took three wickets each, while Shree Charani claimed two. India are assured of at least a silver medal.