The Indian men’s basketball team faced a formidable challenge in their second Group E match of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers 2025, suffering a disappointing 86-53 defeat against Iran at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Monday.
This defeat marked India’s second consecutive loss in the competition, following their earlier defeat to Kazakhstan with a scoreline of 63-50. With two wins out of two, Iran currently leads the Group E points table.
The stakes are high in the qualifiers, as the top two teams from each group secure a spot in the prestigious FIBA Asia Cup 2025 in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, the third-placed teams from each group will battle it out in another qualifying tournament for the remaining four slots at the main event.
Despite India’s valiant efforts, the team faced an uphill battle against the formidable Iranian squad. In the opening quarter, India managed to match Iran shot for shot, with the score tied at 15-15 after eight minutes. However, Iran’s dominance became evident as they ended the quarter with a narrow lead of 23-20.
India displayed resilience in the second quarter, narrowing the deficit and keeping pace with Iran. However, Iran’s superior performance allowed them to extend their lead to 42-32 by halftime.
The momentum shifted decisively in Iran’s favor in the second half, with Salar Monji leading the charge as the top scorer of the match with 14 points. Iran dominated the third quarter, outscoring India 25-12, and maintained their dominance in the final quarter, securing a convincing victory with a margin of 33 points.
Pranav Prince emerged as the top scorer for India with 11 points, but it was not enough to overcome Iran’s formidable challenge.
Looking ahead, the Indian basketball team will face Qatar and Kazakhstan in November before concluding their FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers campaign with matches against Iran and Qatar in February next year.
