Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship: Indian men’s and women’s teams enter finals

The Indian men’s and women’s teams booked their places in the final of the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship after registering convincing semi-final victories on Friday. While the men’s team defeated Bangladesh 56-27 to set up a title showdown against Sri Lanka, the women’s outclassed Sri Lanka 39-14 and will face Uganda in the final.

The Indian men’s team dominated Bangladesh from the opening minutes and went All-Out in the first five minutes. Naveen Kumar and Neeraj Narwal led the raiding department while Deepak S and Shubham Shinde provided stability in defence.

India took a commanding 28-8 lead into half-time after fielding a second All-Out with eight minutes remaining in the opening half. The visitors continued to increase their advantage after the restart and it was 38-16 with 10 minutes to go.

Bharat Hooda continued to trouble the Bangladesh defense as India hit another All-Out with four minutes left to take a 49-20 lead. Bangladesh could not make a comeback as India wrapped up a comfortable 29-run victory.

Bharat finished as India’s leading scorer with 13 points, while Shivam Patare contributed 11 and Neeraj Narwal added nine. Ajit Pawar impressed in defence, picking up five points from eight attempts.

India scored 37 raid points and 12 tackle points, along with six points from All-Outs.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka secured the other men’s final spot after defeating Kenya 28-24 in a closely fought semi-final. Milinda Chathuranga and Sabihan scored six points each for the winners while Made Dwiki Sanjaya contributed five points from tackles.

INDIA WOMEN SET UP FINAL AGAINST UGANDA

The Indian women’s team was equally impressive, beating Sri Lanka 39-14 to reach the summit clash. India took control early in the match and went into the half-time break with a 24-7 advantage.

Sakshi led India’s scoring with 11 points, including eight raid points and three tackle points. Captain Nidhi Sharma also played an important role, scoring 10 runs from 12 runs.

Ritu contributed four points while Suman added three as India bowled three All-Outs to maintain their dominance over Sri Lanka.

The hosts will now face Uganda, who booked their place in the final after beating Kenya 23-21 in a thrilling semi-final.

Uganda held a 12-9 lead at halftime and extended the advantage to 18-12 after seven minutes. However, Kenya fought back through Lavenda Odhiambo, who produced an impressive 16 raid points, including six bonus points.

Uganda managed to hold on to their advantage as their first-half All-Out and perfect record in five do-or-die runs proved crucial in the closing stages.

Nakayongo Shirat and substitute Nalwoga Nahia each scored eight points for Uganda, while captain Nalubega Olivia added three points.

India will face Uganda in the women’s final on Saturday at 7:30 pm and the men’s team will face Sri Lanka at 9:00 pm.

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