India's Kabaddi Teams Set to Compete for Commonwealth Glory

Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship Kicks Off

In Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the Indian men's and women's kabaddi teams are gearing up to pursue their first Commonwealth title, starting their journey on Friday. They will face Malaysia at 6:45 PM, followed by a match against England at 8:30 PM during the opening of the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex.

The championship, running from October 23 to 31, features 23 teams from 13 countries competing in a total of 62 matches—39 for men and 23 for women. The tournament will commence with a match between Kenya and Singapore in Men's Group B at 11:00 AM.

The men's teams are divided into two groups: Group A consists of seven teams, including India, Nigeria, Malaysia, Uganda, England, Tanzania, and Sri Lanka, while Group B has six teams: Bangladesh, Kenya, Canada, Australia, Scotland, and Singapore.

For the women's competition, 10 teams are organized into two groups of five. Group A includes India, Singapore, Nigeria, Uganda, and Malaysia, while Group B features Bangladesh, Kenya, England, Scotland, and Sri Lanka. Each team will compete against every other team in their group once, with the top two from each group advancing to the semifinals.

Leading the men's squad is Captain Surjeet Singh, alongside Vice-Captain Naveen Kumar, and a roster that includes players like Yogesh Dahiya, Shubham Shinde, and Deepak Sankar. After their match against England, India will take on Uganda on October 24, Malaysia on October 25, Nigeria on October 26, Tanzania on October 27, and Sri Lanka on October 29, all scheduled for 8:30 PM.

The women's team is captained by Nidhi Sharma, with Ritu serving as vice-captain. The squad includes Muskan Sharma, Sabhai Gadhavi, and Priya, among others. Following their match against Malaysia, they will face Singapore on October 24, Uganda on October 25, and Nigeria on October 26, all at 6:45 PM. The women's group stage will conclude on October 28.

Semifinals are set for Friday, October 30, with women's matches at 6:00 PM and 6:45 PM, and men's matches at 8:30 PM and 9:30 PM. The finals will take place on Saturday, October 31, with the women's final at 7:30 PM and the men's final at 9:00 PM, all under the theme 'One Breath. One Raid. One Commonwealth.'