Ahmedabad: The Indian men’s and women’s teams dished out clinical displays to thrash England and Malaysia, respectively, in their opening matches of the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026 at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad on Friday.
The women’s team, led by Sakshi’s 13 points and Renuka and Nidhi Sharma’s nine and eight points, respectively, eased to a 73-13 triumph over Malaysia. India scored 40 raid points, 20 tackle points — a testament to their all-round game — and inflicted six all-outs on their opponent as they began their quest for the gold medal with an authoritative show.
The men’s team, though, were given a stern test by England before India’s superior all-round skills paved the way for a comfortable victory. After India led 23-9 at half-time, England came out all guns blazing in the second half to trim the deficit to 21-30.
Thereafter, India’s two consecutive successful raids and a tackle increased the gap before the hosts inflicted an all-out on England. Ultimately, India, led by Naveen Kumar’s 12 points and Neeraj Narwal’s 11 points, emerged victorious 46-26.
In the last match of the day, the Ugandan men’s team led Malaysia 24-14 at half-time.
The Kenyan men’s and women’s teams commenced their respective campaigns at the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026 with contrasting victories at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex on Friday.
While the men’s team enjoyed a comprehensive 48-28 victory over Singapore, with James Kamweti leading the scoring charts with 19 points, the women’s team held their nerves to defeat Bangladesh 34-25 in a tightly contested match.
Sri Lankan men outplayed Tanzania 48-21, with Milinda Chathuranga and Adhan Viduranga contributing 11 and 10 points, respectively, in the team’s victory. The island nation’s aggression helped them score 25 raid points compared to Tanzania’s nine points.
Sri Lanka also outscored Tanzania 13-12 in tackle points, apart from inflicting three all-outs on their opponents. Tanzania was led by Juma Sultania with seven points.
In the day’s third contest, Scotland men thumped Australia 59-30. Scotland’s attacking approach yielded them 40 raid points. A strong defensive set-up also helped them bag eight tackle points, as Scotland inflicted four all-outs on Australia to run away with an easy victory. For Australia, Jasmeet Grewal scored eight points.
Ugandan women breezed past Singapore women 61-12 in a lopsided clash. At half-time, Uganda led 35-1.
(IANS)
