Chennai, Dec 1 (UNI) India suffered an 81-57 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their second match of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Qualifiers at Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.
According to Olympics.com, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman powered the visitors with a game-high 24 points, while Kanwar Sandhu led India with 19.
Saudi Arabia started strongly, with Ali Shubayli opening the scoring through a layup and a three-pointer.
India responded through a Prince Pranav jumper and a Palpreet Singh Brar layup, but the visitors quickly took control, reeling off seven unanswered points to finish the first quarter ahead 19–9.
The second quarter saw Saudi Arabia tighten their grip on the game as Abdur-Rahkman added 11 points, helping the visitors extend their advantage to 43–21 at halftime.
Saudi Arabia continued to dominate in a decisive third quarter, outscoring India 25–15 and further widening the gap. The visitors maintained their intensity in the final quarter, adding points consistently and leaving India with no room for a comeback.
With the loss, India remains winless in the opening window of the qualifiers. They will face Qatar next in the second window on February 27.
A total of 80 teams from Africa, Asia and Oceania, Europe, and the Americas are competing across six qualification windows for places at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027.
India is part of Group D in the Asia and Oceania region, alongside Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
