Commonwealth Kabaddi Championships 2026 — Indian men’s and women’s teams begin with resounding wins

Naveen Kumar was India’s leading point-scorer against England. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI

India made a winning start to its Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship campaigns on Friday, with the women registering a commanding 73-13 victory over Malaysia before the men defeated England 46-26 at the Veer Savarkar Stadium in Ahmedabad.

India 73-13 Malaysia

The Indian women dominated from the outset, racing to a 20-3 lead, before extending their advantage to 30-11 at half-time. Led by captain Nidhi Sharma, who scored eight raid points, India controlled the contest in both raiding and tackling. They finished with 40 raid points and 20 tackle points, compared to Malaysia’s nine raid points and two tackle points, while inflicting six All-Outs without conceding one.

The Indian women’s kabaddi team defeated Malaysia comfortably. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI

Sakshi led the scoring with 13 points, including eight raid points and five tackle points, while Renuka made an impressive contribution off the bench, scoring nine raid points from nine raids. Anu added six points, while Karthika Ramesh and Jyoti contributed six and four tackle points, respectively. Malaysia captain Darsini led her side with three raid points.

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India stepped up its dominance after the break, winning the second half 43-2, with Renuka scoring seven points from six raids, before completing the rout with a 20-0 in the final quarter.

India 46-26 England

India’s men followed with a convincing 46-26 win over England, with Naveen Kumar and Neeraj Narwal leading the charge. Captain Surjeet Singh’s side won the raid battle 32-23 and the tackle battle 8-3, while inflicting three All-Outs without conceding one.

The Indian men’s kabaddi team inflicted a crushing defeat on England. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI

Naveen finished as India’s leading scorer with 12 points, including 11 raid points and one tackle point, while Neeraj Narwal contributed 11 raid points.

Pankaj Mohite added four points and Sachin three, while Nitesh and Deepak S contributed three and two tackle points, respectively. India also registered 24 touch points, significantly more than England’s nine.