TEHRAN - In-form Bahrain ousted Iran in dramatic four sets 25-16, 25-19, 22-25, 25-18, handing the tough rivals the first loss in the 2022 AVC Cup for Men at the Nakhon Pathom Provincial Gymnasium here on Thursday.

Mohamed Abdulla scored a match-high with 21 points including 15 attacks and two aces for Bahrain, while Amir Mohammad Golamzadeh led Iran with 16 points.

Iran will play China in Pool F on Friday.

The competition is being held from Aug. 7 to 14 in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand.

The 2022 Asian Men's Volleyball Cup, so-called 2022 AVC Cup for Men is the seventh edition of the Asian Cup, a biennial international volleyball tournament organized by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) with Thailand Volleyball Association (TVA).