India’s women’s 3×3 basketball team produced an impressive qualifying campaign at the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2024 in Singapore, winning all three of their qualifying matches to reach the tournament’s main draw.
The Indian team defeated the Northern Mariana Islands, Hong Kong, China and Indonesia during qualification before being placed alongside two of the strongest teams in the competition — New Zealand and Australia — in Pool D.
Although India’s run ended during the main-draw pool stage, reaching that stage after an unbeaten qualifying campaign was one of the notable moments of India’s 2024 international 3×3 basketball season.
Here is a complete look at India’s qualification, squad, main-draw results and what followed in subsequent editions of the tournament.
India Women’s Squad for FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2024
India’s four-player women’s squad consisted of:
- Aneesha Cleetus
- Pushpa Senthil Kumar
- Kavya Singla
- Sreekala Rani
The tournament was held at Singapore Sports Hub’s OCBC Square from March 27 to March 31, 2024.
India entered the women’s Qualifying Draw in Pool C alongside Indonesia, Hong Kong, China and the Northern Mariana Islands.
According to the official FIBA tournament pool announcement, only the qualifying-pool winner would advance to the main draw, leaving India with little margin for error.
India Begin With Dominant 21-1 Victory
India started their campaign in emphatic fashion against the Northern Mariana Islands.
The Indian women recorded a 21-1 victory, giving them an ideal start to the qualifying stage.
In 3×3 basketball, matches can end before the full 10-minute playing period when a team reaches 21 points. India’s ability to reach that mark while conceding just a single point demonstrated the difference between the two sides.
But the more difficult tests were still ahead.
India had to face Hong Kong and Indonesia on the second day of qualifying, with the main-draw position still at stake.
India Beat Hong Kong Despite Kavya Singla Injury
India continued their unbeaten run with an 18-12 victory over Hong Kong, China.
The result came with a setback, however, as Kavya Singla suffered an injury during the contest.
That left India facing their decisive match against Indonesia without the luxury of a substitute.
Despite the reduced rotation, India responded strongly.
The official FIBA report from the qualifying round highlighted India’s resilience after Singla’s injury and the team’s ability to continue performing under pressure.
Pushpa Senthil Kumar Leads India Against Indonesia
India’s final qualifying game against Indonesia would determine whether they progressed to the main draw.
Playing without a substitute, India delivered again and defeated Indonesia 20-13.
Pushpa Senthil Kumar emerged as one of India’s most important performers during the decisive qualifying games.
FIBA reported that Pushpa scored nine points against Hong Kong and another nine points against Indonesia, providing much of India’s offensive production.
The victory completed an unbeaten qualifying campaign and secured India’s place in the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup main draw.
India’s 2024 Qualifying Results
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| India vs Northern Mariana Islands | India won 21-1 |
| India vs Hong Kong, China | India won 18-12 |
| India vs Indonesia | India won 20-13 |
Three games. Three victories.
It was exactly the qualifying run India needed.
India Drawn With Australia and New Zealand
Qualification, however, immediately presented India with a much tougher challenge.
India entered Women’s Pool D alongside:
- Australia
- New Zealand
- India
Australia entered the tournament as defending champions, while New Zealand had finished runner-up in the previous edition.
The official FIBA main-draw announcement confirmed India alongside the two Oceania heavyweights in Pool D.
For a team that had already played three qualifying matches and was dealing with an injury, the step up in competition was significant.
New Zealand Defeat India 17-10
India opened the main draw against New Zealand on March 30.
New Zealand won the contest 17-10, putting India under immediate pressure heading into their second and final pool match.
India now needed a major result against defending champions Australia to keep their knockout-stage hopes alive.
That proved to be an even greater challenge.
Australia Beat India 21-7
Australia defeated India 21-7 in their Pool D meeting.
FIBA described Australia as producing another dominant display as the defending champions moved toward the knockout stage. The official FIBA Day Four report confirms Australia’s 21-7 victory over India.
India therefore finished the main-draw pool stage without a victory and did not progress to the quarter-finals.
India’s Main-Draw Results
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| New Zealand vs India | New Zealand won 17-10 |
| Australia vs India | Australia won 21-7 |
India’s campaign was over, but their journey needs to be viewed in context.
They had entered through qualification, won three consecutive games and reached a pool containing the eventual tournament’s two best teams.
Australia and New Zealand Eventually Reached the Final
The strength of India’s Pool D becomes even clearer when looking at what happened later in the tournament.
Australia and New Zealand both advanced deep into the competition and eventually met in the women’s final.
Australia defeated New Zealand 18-13 to successfully defend their FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup title.
The official FIBA tournament recap confirms that Australia won the women’s championship while New Zealand finished runner-up.
So India’s two main-draw defeats came against the teams that ultimately finished first and second in the entire tournament.
That provides important context to India’s early elimination.
What Made India’s Qualifying Run Significant?
The strongest part of India’s tournament was undoubtedly qualification.
Three aspects stood out.
1. India went unbeaten in qualifying
India needed to top its qualifying group to advance and did exactly that.
The team won all three matches and scored 59 points across those contests while conceding 26.
2. India adapted after an injury
Kavya Singla’s injury against Hong Kong left the team without a substitute for the crucial Indonesia match.
In the physically demanding 3×3 format, playing without a rotation option can become a major disadvantage.
India nevertheless produced a seven-point victory.
3. Pushpa delivered under pressure
Pushpa Senthil Kumar’s consecutive nine-point performances against Hong Kong and Indonesia were particularly important.
Those were India’s two most consequential qualifying matches, and her scoring helped the team turn a promising start into actual qualification.
India’s Men’s Team Missed the Main Draw
The tournament brought contrasting fortunes for India’s men’s and women’s teams.
The Indian men started well by defeating Maldives and Macau during qualification but then faced Malaysia in the decisive match.
Malaysia won 21-9, eliminating India from the men’s qualifying draw.
That meant India’s women’s team was the country’s only side to reach the main draw at the 2024 edition.
What Happened to India Women in the 2025 Asia Cup?
India returned for the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2025, again entering through the qualifying draw.
This time the women were placed in a group containing Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, China and Guam.
India could not repeat their 2024 qualification success.
Chinese Taipei defeated India 17-13 and ultimately secured the qualifying position for the main draw. FIBA’s 2025 qualifying-round report confirmed Chinese Taipei as one of the women’s teams advancing from qualification.
The result showed just how competitive the qualifying stage of the Asian 3×3 tournament had become.
India Women at the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2026
India returned to Singapore again for the 2026 edition, entering Women’s Qualifying Draw B alongside Malaysia and Turkmenistan.
India’s hopes of reaching the main draw were ended by Malaysia, who defeated them 16-13 before going on to qualify for Pool B.
The official FIBA 2026 qualification report confirms Malaysia’s victory over India and qualification for the main draw.
That makes India’s unbeaten 2024 qualifying campaign particularly notable: as of the 2026 edition, it remains the most recent occasion on which India’s women’s team successfully progressed from the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup qualifying draw to the main draw.
India’s History in Women’s 3×3 Basketball
India is not without success in this competition.
FIBA’s 2026 tournament preview notes that India is one of the nations to have previously won the women’s FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup, alongside Australia, China and New Zealand among past champions.
That history means India has already demonstrated the potential to compete at the highest continental level.
The challenge is developing enough consistency to repeatedly qualify for the main draw and then compete against established programs such as Australia, China, New Zealand, Mongolia and Japan.
Why 3×3 Basketball Is Different From Traditional Basketball
3×3 basketball is much faster than conventional five-on-five basketball.
Games are played on a half-court with three players from each team on court. A standard field goal counts for one point, while shots from outside the arc count for two.
Games last 10 minutes, but a team that reaches 21 points first wins immediately.
That explains scores such as India’s 21-1 victory over the Northern Mariana Islands and Australia’s 21-7 win over India.
The format places enormous importance on:
- quick decision-making
- outside shooting
- physical strength
- rebounding
- defensive switching
- player conditioning
- efficient substitutions
With only four players available in a tournament squad, an injury can also have a much greater impact than it might in traditional basketball.
Final Takeaway
India women’s performance at the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2024 produced two very different stories.
The qualifying campaign was excellent.
India defeated the Northern Mariana Islands 21-1, Hong Kong 18-12 and Indonesia 20-13 to reach the main draw with a perfect record. Pushpa Senthil Kumar played a major role, while the team showed resilience after Kavya Singla’s injury.
The main draw was considerably tougher.
India lost 17-10 to New Zealand and 21-7 to Australia and was eliminated before the quarter-finals. But those opponents ultimately became the tournament’s silver and gold medallists respectively.
Rather than simply describing India’s 2024 campaign as an early exit, the tournament showed both the potential of the Indian women’s 3×3 program and the gap that remained between India and Asia-Oceania’s strongest teams.
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