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India’s men’s and women’s teams made commanding starts to the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship in Ahmedabad on October 23, 2026. The women defeated Malaysia 73-13, before the men beat England 46-26 at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, giving the hosts two convincing wins at the inaugural edition of the competition.
The women set the tone early, racing to a 20-3 lead and reaching half-time 30-11 ahead. The men were also in control at the interval, leading England 23-9 before seeing off a brief third-quarter fightback. India’s scoring leaders were Sakshi with 13 points in the women’s match and Naveen Kumar with 12 in the men’s contest.
India’s women controlled the match through both raiding and tackling. They finished with 40 raid points and 20 tackle points, compared with Malaysia’s nine raid points and two tackle points. India also inflicted six all-outs and did not concede one, a measure of how consistently the team kept Malaysia under pressure.
Sakshi led the scoring with 13 points, including eight raid points and five tackle points. Captain Nidhi Sharma added eight raid points, while Renuka made an impact with nine raid points. Anu contributed six points, and Karthika Ramesh and Jyoti added six and four tackle points respectively. Malaysia captain Darsini led her team with three raid points.
The gap widened after the break. India won the second half 43-2 and finished the final quarter with a 20-0 scoreline, leaving Malaysia unable to mount a sustained response. The performance gave the Indian women an emphatic opening result as the pool stage began.
India’s men followed with a 46-26 victory over England. Captain Surjeet Singh’s side built a 15-5 lead early and extended it to 23-9 by half-time, using effective raids and defensive work to create a comfortable cushion.
Naveen Kumar was India’s leading scorer with 12 points, comprising 11 raid points and one tackle point. Neeraj Narwal contributed 11 raid points, while Pankaj Mohite scored four points and Sachin added three. Defenders Nitesh and Deepak S contributed three and two tackle points respectively.
England improved in the third quarter, winning that period 10-7 and cutting the score to 30-19. Milan Kaushal scored five points in the period, while Nayan Yuvraj Dabhi and Ahurajan Ragunathan also contributed. India responded in the final quarter, winning it 16-7 to close out the match. The men’s team recorded three all-outs without conceding one, and finished ahead in both the raid battle, 32-23, and tackle battle, 8-3.
- 73-13: India women’s winning score against Malaysia.
- 46-26: India men’s winning score against England.
- 13 points: Sakshi’s total to lead the women’s match.
- 12 points: Naveen Kumar’s total in the men’s match.
- 43-2: India women’s second-half scoring margin.
- Six and three all-outs: India’s all-outs against Malaysia and England respectively, without conceding one in either match.
The results came in the first edition of the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship, being staged in Ahmedabad from October 23 to 31. The event brings together 23 squads from 13 nations for men’s and women’s competitions, with the opening matches offering India an opportunity to set an early standard on home ground.
India’s women’s performance showed the advantage of combining successful raids with a strong defensive return, while the men demonstrated the ability to absorb an opponent’s push and respond decisively in the final quarter. Both teams’ clean records on all-outs were notable details in matches that finished with substantial score margins.
The championship is also a chance to broaden kabaddi’s international profile by placing teams from across the Commonwealth in a dedicated competition. With Ahmedabad hosting, the tournament brings international attention to a sport with deep roots in India and a growing presence in other countries.
India’s women are scheduled to face Singapore next, while the men are due to play Uganda on October 24. The group-stage fixtures continue before the semifinals on October 30 and the finals on October 31. Both Indian sides will look to carry the opening-day momentum into the next matches as they pursue places in the knockout rounds.
The first day offered India a pair of emphatic results, with the women’s 60-point winning margin and the men’s 20-point margin setting a strong early marker. The next fixtures will test whether both sides can sustain their discipline and scoring balance as the competition progresses.
