Inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship Kicks Off in India

Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship Commences

The inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship has officially begun, with India’s men's and women's teams set to compete for the first title. The matches will take place at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, starting with India facing Malaysia at 6:45 PM, followed by a match against England at 8:30 PM. From October 23 to 31, a total of 23 teams from 13 countries will participate in 62 matches, including 39 men's and 23 women's games, kicking off with Kenya versus Singapore in Men's Group B at 11:00 AM.

Tournament Format and Group Breakdown

The tournament features 13 men's teams divided into two groups: Group A consists of seven teams (India, Nigeria, Malaysia, Uganda, England, Tanzania, and Sri Lanka), while Group B includes six teams (Bangladesh, Kenya, Canada, Australia, Scotland, and Singapore). The women's competition includes 10 teams split into two groups of five: Group A has India, Singapore, Nigeria, Uganda, and Malaysia, while Group B comprises Bangladesh, Kenya, England, Scotland, and Sri Lanka. Each team will play against every other team in their group once, with the top two teams advancing to the semifinals. The winners of Group A will face the runners-up from Group B and vice versa.

Indian National Teams Overview

The Indian men's squad, led by Captain Surjeet Singh and Vice-Captain Naveen Kumar, includes 14 players: Yogesh Dahiya, Shubham Shinde, Deepak Sankar, Nitesh Kumar, Parvesh Bhainswal, Ajit Pawar, Sachin Tanwar, Pankaj Mohite, Bharat Hooda, Shivam Patare, Neeraj Narwal, and Aditya Shinde. Following their match against England, India will compete against 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. This squad also consists of 14 players: Muskan Sharma, Sabhai Gadhavi, Priya, Champa Thakur, Riya Kumari, Suman Sahu, Jyothi, Ritu Mitharwal, Renuka Choudhary, Simran Kamboj, Anu Sen, Sakshi, and Karthika Ramesh. After 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 and Finals Schedule

The semifinals are scheduled for Friday, October 30, with the women's matches at 6:00 PM and 6:45 PM, followed by the men's matches at 8:30 PM and 9:30 PM. The championship 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.'