India's Women Triumph in First Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship

India Women Clinch Inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship

The Indian Women's Kabaddi team has made history by becoming the first champions of the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship, securing a decisive 35-15 victory against Uganda Women. This win capped off an unbeaten journey to the title, as reported in a press release. Sakshi emerged as the standout player, scoring nine raid points from ten attempts, including two bonus points. Notably, she achieved seven points in the first half alone, successfully completing all six of her raids. Anu contributed six raid points, while captain Nidhi Sharma added five points, three of which were bonus points. The defense was solid, with Ritu and Suman each earning four tackle points. Overall, India amassed 20 raid points and 10 tackle points, executing two All-Outs during the match.

Uganda's Performance

Uganda's Nakayongo Shirat was pivotal in their offense, accounting for 24 of their 35 raids and scoring 11 of their 15 points, including three bonus points. The remaining Ugandan raiders managed to score only three points collectively, with semi-final standout Nalwoga Nahia limited to just one point. Zalwango Jemima's tackle in the second half marked the only instance where Uganda successfully halted an Indian raider throughout the match. Uganda recorded 14 raid points and one tackle point.

Match Progression and Tactical Dominance

India established an early lead of 7-3 with ten minutes left in the first half, subsequently widening the gap to 22-7 by halftime after outscoring Uganda 15-4, which included an All-Out. Remarkably, India did not lose a single raid in the first half, while Uganda failed in all nine of their tackle attempts. India's defenders successfully executed six tackles. Although Uganda managed to edge India 7-6 in raid points after the break, India's second All-Out, occurring with less than ten minutes remaining, solidified their victory. Throughout the match, India tackled Uganda's raiders ten times and successfully converted three out of four do-or-die raids.

Player Perspectives and Tournament Legacy

Sakshi, who concluded the championship with an impressive 52 points over six matches and was recognized as India's top player in the final, expressed her joy: "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 organizing such a wonderful championship."

The Indian Women's team concluded their flawless campaign in Ahmedabad with six victories out of six matches. They began with a commanding 73-13 win over Malaysia, followed by a 32-16 victory against Singapore, a 41-18 win over Uganda, and a 38-10 triumph against Nigeria, finishing at the top of Group A. In the semi-finals, they defeated Sri Lanka 39-14 before clinching the championship against Uganda.