The Indian men’s and women’s kabaddi teams began their Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026 campaigns in dominant fashion, securing comprehensive victories over England and Malaysia respectively at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex on Friday. Both squads displayed clinical raiding and solid defensive tactics to signal their clear intentions of contending for the gold medals in the tournament.
Match Situations and Key Performances
The Indian women’s team delivered a masterclass against Malaysia, cruising to an overwhelming 73-13 triumph. Sakshi spearheaded the offense with 13 points, while Renuka and Nidhi Sharma added valuable contributions of nine and eight points respectively. The team accumulated 40 raid points, 20 tackle points, and inflicted six all-outs.
Meanwhile, the Indian men’s team faced a sterner test from England before pulling away to a 46-26 victory. After establishing a 23-9 lead at half-time, India weathered a spirited fightback from the English side in the second half. Naveen Kumar led the scoring with 12 points, ably supported by Neeraj Narwal with 11 points to seal the contest.
- India women defeated Malaysia 73-13 with Sakshi scoring a match-high 13 points.
- The Indian women’s side inflicted six all-outs and secured 40 raid points.
- India men overcame a strong second-half challenge from England to win 46-26.
- Naveen Kumar and Neeraj Narwal starred for the Indian men with 12 and 11 points respectively.
Tournament Context and Upcoming Fixtures
The opening day of the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship featured several other lopsided encounters as international sides tested their depth. Kenya secured a comfortable 48-28 win over Singapore in the men’s division behind James Kamweti’s 19 points, while the Kenyan women narrowly defeated Bangladesh 34-25. Elsewhere, Sri Lanka outplayed Tanzania 48-21 and Scotland defeated Australia 59-30.
With the opening round now concluded, the competition intensifies on Saturday. The Indian men’s team is scheduled to face Uganda at 8:30 PM, while the women’s team will lock horns with Singapore at 6:45 PM as both sides look to maintain their unbeaten momentum in the group stages.
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