India's men and women advance to finals at inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship
India's men's and women's kabaddi teams advanced to the finals of the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship on Friday, each winning their semifinal matches. The men's side defeated Bangladesh 56-27 while the women beat Sri Lanka 39-14.
The victories set up a men's final between India and Sri Lanka and a women's title match between India and Uganda. Both Indian sides progressed after commanding semifinal displays that left their opponents trailing by large margins at key stages.
In the men's semifinal India forced an All-Out within the opening five minutes and sustained pressure through the first half, recording a second All-Out with eight minutes remaining before the break. Naveen Kumar and Neeraj Narwal led the raiding effort, while Deepak S and Shubham Shinde marshalled the defence, enabling India to carry a 28-8 lead into half-time.
India extended their advantage after the restart, moving to 38-16 with 10 minutes remaining in the match and inflicting another All-Out with four minutes left to take a 49-20 lead. Bharat Hooda played a notable role in troubling the Bangladesh defence as India closed out a 56-27 victory. Bharat finished as India's top scorer with 13 points, Shivam Patare contributed 11 and Neeraj Narwal added nine; Ajit Pawar collected five tackle points from eight attempts. India’s totals in the game were 37 raid points, 12 tackle points and six points from All-Outs.
Sri Lanka secured the other men's final berth by defeating Kenya 28-24 in a closely contested semifinal. Milinda Chathuranga and Sabihan scored six points apiece for Sri Lanka, and Made Dwiki Sanjaya contributed five tackle points.
The Indian women's team established control early against Sri Lanka, taking a 24-7 lead into half-time and finishing the contest 39-14. Sakshi led India with 11 points, comprising eight raid points and three tackle points, while captain Nidhi Sharma recorded 10 points from 12 raids. Ritu added four tackle points and Suman three as India inflicted three All-Outs.
Uganda reached the women's final after a 23-21 win over Kenya in a tight semifinal, holding a 12-9 half-time lead and extending it to 18-12 with seven minutes remaining. Kenya replied through Lavenda Odhiambo, who produced 16 raid points including six bonus points, but Uganda held on; Nakayongo Shirat and substitute Nalwoga Nahia scored eight points each and captain Nalubega Olivia added three tackle points. Uganda's first-half All-Out and a flawless record in five do-or-die raids were noted as decisive factors in the closing stages.
India's women will face Uganda in the final at 7.30 pm on Saturday, while the men's final between India and Sri Lanka is scheduled for 9 pm on Saturday.