Asian Games 2026: India’s September 21 Schedule, Events, Timings and Key Matches

India enters another packed day of competition at the Asian Games 2026 on September 21, with athletes in action across a wide range of sports. 

From early-morning shooting and wushu events to evening kabaddi and table tennis fixtures, Indian athletes will be competing throughout the day in pursuit of medals and qualification for the next stages.

The day begins as early as 5:30 AM IST, with wushu, sepak takraw and soft tennis events taking place almost simultaneously. Shooting then takes centre stage, with India’s men’s 10m air rifle contingent beginning qualification at 6:15 AM, followed by the team final scheduled at the same time, subject to qualification.

Indian shooters will have a busy morning. Rudrankksh, Parth and Himanshu are scheduled to compete in the men’s 10m air rifle qualification at 6:15 AM IST, with the men’s 10m air rifle team final also listed at 6:15 AM. The shooting programme continues with the men’s and women’s skeet competitions. Anantjeet, Mairaj and Bhavtegh will compete in the men’s skeet 50-shot Day 1, while Pareenaaz, Raiza and Maheshwari are scheduled for the women’s skeet 50-shot Day 1, both beginning at 6:30 AM.

If Indian shooters qualify for the men’s 10m air rifle final, the individual final is scheduled for 9:00 AM IST.

Soft tennis and swimming keep the morning busy

India’s Jay and Aadhya will feature prominently in mixed doubles soft tennis. Their Group B campaign includes matches against Cambodia at 5:30 AM, Mongolia at 6:30 AM and South Korea at 7:30 AM. The soft tennis schedule later moves into the knockout stages, with the mixed doubles Round of 16 at 9:00 AM, quarterfinals at 10:30 AM, semifinals at noon and the final at 1:30 PM, all subject to qualification.

Swimming also has several Indian athletes in action. Srihari Natraj and Rishab Das are scheduled for the men’s 50m backstroke heats at 6:32 AM. Akash Mani competes in the men’s 50m freestyle at 6:46 AM, while Heer Shah takes part in the same event at 6:50 AM.

Danush Suresh is scheduled for the men’s 100m breaststroke heat at 7:06 AM. India’s men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team is scheduled for a heat at 7:44 AM.

The afternoon could bring more Indian representation in the swimming finals, with the men’s 50m backstroke final at 1:30 PM, 50m freestyle final at 1:42 PM, 100m breaststroke final at 2:08 PM and 2x200m freestyle relay final at 2:43 PM, subject to qualification.

There are several important team fixtures on September 21. India faces Japan in men’s sepak takraw, with the Group B contest scheduled for 5:30 AM. In table tennis, India faces Pakistan in the women’s team Group F match at 6:30 AM, followed by another India-Pakistan fixture in the men’s Group F at 3:30 PM.

India’s women’s hockey team takes on Indonesia in Pool B at 9:30 AM, while the men’s kabaddi team faces Japan in Group A at 9:45 AM. Later in the afternoon, India’s women’s kabaddi team meets Bangladesh in Group A at 4:15 PM. Badminton fans will also have an important team event to follow, with India facing Bangladesh in the men’s team Round of 16 at 11:30 AM.

Wushu features several Indian athletes. Nyeman Wangsu competes in the women’s Changquan final at 5:30 AM, while Rohibina Devi faces Shika of Bangladesh in the women’s 60kg Round of 16 at 6:40 AM. Aryan takes on Shazada Safi of Afghanistan in the men’s 56kg Round of 16 at 7:20 AM. In MMA, Suchika Tarival faces Singapore’s Teo Hui Hoon in the women’s 60kg traditional semifinal at 8:00 AM.

Boxing action begins at 8:45 AM, with Sumit Kundu facing Thailand’s Sinsiri in the men’s 70kg Round of 32.

With competitions spread across the entire day, September 21 promises another extensive day of Indian participation at the Asian Games 2026.

India at Asian Games 2026: September 21