India Men Storm Into Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship Final, Set Up Title Clash With Sri Lanka
· Free Press Journal
Ahmedabad, October 30: India Men produced a commanding performance to defeat Bangladesh 56-27 in the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026 at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad on Friday. India will face Sri Lanka in the men's final on October 31 after the latter edged Kenya 28-24 in a closely contested second semi-final.
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India asserted their dominance early, with Naveen Kumar and Neeraj Narwal leading the raiding effort while Deepak S and Shubham Shinde anchored the defence. Dipayon Golder opened Bangladesh's account with a successful raid, but India quickly took control, inflicting their first All-Out within the opening five minutes.
Bharat Hooda and Shivam Patare took over the raiding duties as India extended their lead, while Deepak S continued to make an impact in defence. India inflicted a second All-Out with eight minutes remaining in the first half and went into the break with a commanding 28-8 lead. Bangladesh struggled to make inroads, failing to register a tackle point in the first half as Dipayon Golder and Md Rahman led their scoring efforts through raids.
India maintained their momentum after the restart, combining effective raiding with a disciplined defensive display to lead 38-16 with 10 minutes remaining. Bharat Hooda continued to trouble the Bangladesh defence and inflicted another All-Out with four minutes left, extending India's advantage to 49-20. India eventually closed out a comprehensive 56-27 victory, registering 37 raid points, 12 tackle points and six All-Out points.
Bharat Hooda led India's scoring with 13 points, while Shivam Patare contributed 11 and Neeraj Narwal added nine. Ajit Pawar also made a significant impact in defence, finishing with five tackle points from eight tackles as India maintained pressure on Bangladesh throughout the contest.
In the other semi-final, Sri Lanka held off a determined Kenya side to secure a 28-24 victory and book their place in the final against India. Milinda Chathuranga and Sabihan contributed six points each for Sri Lanka, while Viduranga added four points. Made Dwiki Sanjaya led Sri Lanka's defensive effort with five tackle points. For Kenya, Helvic Wanjala top-scored with nine points, while Samuel Wafula contributed six.
Reflecting on India's run to the final, captain Surjeet Singh said, “It is a proud moment for us to reach the final of the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship. The team is in high spirits, and our aim is to continue this unbeaten run and win the title. With 13 countries participating, the tournament is an important step towards growing kabaddi internationally. The performances of the African teams have been particularly encouraging, and I would love to see more of these talented players get opportunities in competitions like the Pro Kabaddi League. Such exposure will help the sport grow globally and strengthen our hopes of seeing kabaddi feature at the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2036 Olympics.”
India Men will take on Sri Lanka in the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026 final at 9 PM on October 31, with India aiming to cap their unbeaten campaign by lifting the inaugural title.