- DOUBLE GOLD, ONE DOMINANT STATEMENT: India’s men defeat Sri Lanka 54-20; women overpower Uganda 35-15 to sweep inaugural Commonwealth titles.
- MEN DELIVER A 34-POINT MASTERCLASS: Aditya Shinde’s Super 10 and Yogesh Dahiya’s High 5 power a commanding final performance.
- WOMEN COMPLETE AN UNBEATEN CAMPAIGN: Sakshi leads the charge with nine raid points as Nidhi Sharma’s team seals gold.
- AHMEDABAD BACKS THE CHAMPIONS: Aditya Shinde thanks local supporters and calls for continued encouragement of the sport.
- IKF SETS SIGHTS ON OLYMPICS: President Kasani Gnaneshwar says the federation is working towards kabaddi’s inclusion in the 2036 Olympic Games and 2030 Commonwealth Games.
- WORLD CUP AND WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE ON THE RADAR: IKF invites hosting proposals for the World Cup; 62 countries have secured federation membership, says its president.
NE SPORTS BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, NOV 1
Ahmedabad witnessed a golden kabaddi takeover as India’s men and women stormed to the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship titles, defeating Sri Lanka and Uganda respectively to complete a spectacular double. The twin triumphs on October 31 capped unbeaten campaigns by both Indian teams and gave the sport a major international platform, even as the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) outlined an ambitious roadmap targeting the 2036 Olympic Games and the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
Men’s team outclasses Sri Lanka 54-20
India’s men underlined their supremacy with a commanding 54-20 victory over Sri Lanka in the final on Day 9 of the championship. The Asian champions produced a powerful all-round display, combining incisive raids with an uncompromising defensive effort to become the first men’s champions of the Commonwealth competition.
Aditya Shinde led the scoring with a Super 10, collecting 10 raid points from 14 raids, including four bonus points. Bharat Hooda contributed eight raid points, all in the second half, and remained untackled across seven raids. Pankaj Mohite added six points, while vice-captain Naveen Kumar chipped in with five.
The defensive charge was led by Yogesh Dahiya, who completed a High 5 with five successful tackles from five attempts, all in the first half. Shubham Shinde, captain Surjeet Singh, Pravesh Malik and Deepak Sankar contributed two tackle points each.
India accumulated 30 raid points and 14 tackle points, inflicted four All-Outs and did not concede one. Sri Lanka managed only 11 raid points and nine tackle points, with Maduwantha their leading contributor through six tackle points, including two Super Tackles.
The match was effectively settled before the interval. India led 15-8 with 10 minutes remaining in the first half and then unleashed a 15-2 scoring burst to enter the break with a commanding 30-10 advantage. Sri Lanka managed only two successful raids from 21 attempts in the opening half, while India’s defenders completed nine successful tackles from 10 attempts.
India maintained the pressure after the restart, inflicting two more All-Outs and winning the second half 24-10. Across the match, India completed 24 successful raids from 40 attempts, compared with Sri Lanka’s seven from 41.
Aditya Shinde, who topped the Indian scoring chart, said: “With more and more tournaments being held, it’s great for the people of Ahmedabad too, and we received so much support from them. We hope everyone comes out to support us the same way in the competitions ahead. There will be a celebration, a really big one, and it’s already going on here!”
India finished the men’s championship with eight wins from eight matches. After topping Group A with six victories, they defeated Bangladesh 56-27 in the semi-final before overcoming Sri Lanka in the title clash. India scored 380 points and conceded 193 across the tournament; no opponent managed to score more than 30 points against them.
Women’s team seals gold with 35-15 win
India’s women produced an equally authoritative performance, defeating Uganda 35-15 to become the first women’s champions of the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship. Led by captain Nidhi Sharma, the World Champions completed a flawless six-match campaign to claim the title on home soil.
Sakshi was the standout performer in the final, scoring nine raid points from 10 raids, including two bonus points. She collected seven points in the first half, succeeding in all six of her raids. Anu added six raid points, while captain Nidhi Sharma contributed five, including three bonus points.
Ritu and Suman anchored the defence with four tackle points apiece. India registered 20 raid points and 10 tackle points, while inflicting two All-Outs on Uganda.
Uganda’s Nakayongo Shirat was the principal threat, accounting for 11 of her team’s 15 points, including three bonus points. However, India’s defence restricted the rest of the Ugandan attack, with semi-final standout Nalwoga Nahia held to just one point.
India led 22-7 at half-time after outscoring Uganda 15-4 in the closing 10 minutes of the first half. The Indian raiders remained untouched throughout the opening half, while Uganda failed to convert any of its nine tackle attempts. Although Uganda edged India 7-6 on raid points after the break, a second Indian All-Out with less than 10 minutes remaining put the result beyond doubt.
Sakshi, who finished the championship with 52 points from six matches, said: “I’m feeling great that I could score 9 raid points and help the team win. The atmosphere in the team is euphoric after winning the gold medal and everyone is very happy. This event was very important for Kabaddi as such International tournaments will help the growth of the sport and our young players will benefit a lot from this experience. I could see a lot of improvement in other teams from last year. I want to thank AKFI for organising such a wonderful championship.”
India Women began with a 73-13 win over Malaysia, followed by victories against Singapore, Uganda and Nigeria to top Group A. They then defeated Sri Lanka 39-14 in the semi-final before completing their unbeaten run with the final victory over Uganda.
IKF targets 2036 Olympic inclusion
The celebrations in Ahmedabad coincided with a significant discussion on kabaddi’s international future. International Kabaddi Federation president Kasani Gnaneshwar said on Sunday that the federation was working towards securing the sport’s inclusion in the 2036 Olympic Games, while also pursuing a place for kabaddi in the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
Addressing the media after an IKF Executive Committee meeting held under his chairmanship, Gnaneshwar said Olympic inclusion would bring greater international recognition to kabaddi and create wider opportunities for players.
The federation is also planning to organise a Kabaddi World Cup and launch a Women’s Kabaddi Premier League in the near future. Countries interested in hosting the World Cup have been invited to submit proposals, with the host to be selected after reviewing the expressions of interest.
Gnaneshwar said 62 countries had come forward to participate in kabaddi and had secured membership in the International Kabaddi Federation.
Directors Venkatesh Bandari and Govind Narayan Sharma, along with Executive Committee members from different countries, including Osama and Sharma, attended the meeting.
Ahmedabad’s golden moment, kabaddi’s global ambition
The championship has given India two inaugural Commonwealth titles and offered a glimpse of the sport’s growing international reach. The unbeaten campaigns, the emergence of standout performers and the support from Ahmedabad’s spectators have added momentum to kabaddi’s global ambitions.
The next challenge lies in converting that momentum into sustained international competition, wider participation and stronger pathways for women and men players across nations. With the IKF now speaking of a World Cup, a Women’s Kabaddi Premier League and Olympic inclusion, the Ahmedabad double gold could prove an important milestone in the sport’s journey towards a larger global stage.