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The inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship will be held from October 23 to 31, 2026, at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad, with India entering both the men’s and women’s competitions. India have named 14-player squads for each event, and the men’s team will begin its campaign against England at 8:30 p.m. IST on October 23, according to Sporting News.
The tournament brings together teams from across the Commonwealth for a dedicated kabaddi championship. The men’s competition features 13 teams divided into two groups, while 10 teams will compete in the women’s event. The schedule gives Indian fans an early double focus, with the women’s team facing Malaysia at 6:45 p.m. IST on the opening day.
Naveen Kumar, Sachin Tanwar and Surjeet Singh are among the prominent players in India’s 14-member men’s squad. The full squad listed by Sporting News is Sachin Tanwar, Naveen Kumar, Bharat Hooda, Pankaj Mohite, Aditya Shinde, Shivam Patare, Neeraj Narwal, Surjeet Singh, Ajit Pawar, Parvesh Bhainswal, Shubham Shinde, Yogesh Dahiya, Nitesh Kumar and Deepak Sankar.
Sporting News reported that none of the players from the Indian men’s side that won Asian Games gold last month were selected for this championship. The new-look group therefore gives a different set of players an opportunity to represent India in a major international tournament. The selection also puts attention on how the squad combines established names with players who have had less senior international exposure.
India’s women have also been named in a 14-player group. The squad listed by Sporting News comprises Nidhi Sharma, Simran Kamboj, Champa Thakur, Anu Kumari, Ritu Mitharwal, Karthika Ramesh, Suman Sahu, Sakshi, Jyothi, Riya Kumari, Renuka Choudhary, Muskan Sharma, Priya and Sabhai Gadhavi.
The women’s team is scheduled to open against Malaysia at 6:45 p.m. IST on October 23. India are placed in Group A alongside Nigeria, Singapore, Uganda and Malaysia. Group B consists of Bangladesh, England, Kenya, Scotland and Sri Lanka. With five teams in each pool, the group stage will be important for determining which sides progress toward the knockout rounds.
India’s men begin against England at 8:30 p.m. IST on October 23, followed by matches against Uganda on October 24, Malaysia on October 25, Nigeria on October 26 and Tanzania on October 27, according to the published fixture list. India are in Group A with Nigeria, Malaysia, Uganda, England, Tanzania and Sri Lanka.
Group B in the men’s event features Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Kenya, Scotland and Singapore. The two pools contain different numbers of teams because the overall field has 13 participants. The women’s tournament has a more even structure, with 10 teams divided into two groups of five.
The opening fixtures will provide an early indication of the teams’ form, but the full standings and results will depend on matches played across the tournament window. The championship is scheduled to run for nine days, from October 23 through October 31, in Ahmedabad.
For India, the event provides another international platform for men’s and women’s kabaddi, while the men’s squad change creates an opportunity for a fresh group to establish itself. Players such as Naveen Kumar, Sachin Tanwar and Surjeet Singh bring recognition to the lineup, while the rest of the squad will have the chance to build their reputations through performances in the competition.
The women’s campaign also deserves attention, with India starting against Malaysia on the opening evening. Across both competitions, the tournament’s schedule, group standings and match results will be central to tracking the hosts’ progress. All timings in the published schedule are Indian Standard Time, and readers should check official event updates for any changes to fixtures or results.
