India Men Reach Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship Final With 56-27 Win Over Bangladesh

Ahmedabad, October 30: India Men booked their place in the final of the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026 with a commanding 56-27 victory over Bangladesh at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex on Friday. The hosts will face Sri Lanka in the title clash on October 31 after the latter defeated Kenya 28-24 in the second semi-final.

India established control early in the contest, with Naveen Kumar and Neeraj Narwal leading the raiding effort while Deepak S and Shubham Shinde set the tone in defence. Bangladesh opened their account through Dipayon Golder, but India quickly imposed themselves and inflicted the first All-Out within the opening five minutes.

As the first half progressed, Bharat Hooda and Shivam Patare took over much of the raiding responsibility and helped India extend their advantage. Deepak continued to contribute at the back, while Bangladesh struggled to find a way through the Indian defence. A second All-Out with eight minutes remaining in the half pushed India further ahead, and they went into the break with a comfortable 28-8 lead.

Bangladesh relied largely on raids from Dipayon Golder and Md Rahman in the opening period, but their defence found it difficult to stop India’s attack and failed to register a tackle point before half-time. India maintained the same intensity after the restart, combining effective raids with a disciplined defensive performance to take a 38-16 lead with ten minutes remaining.

Bharat remained a constant threat and played a major role as India inflicted another All-Out with four minutes left, extending the score to 49-20. India eventually closed out the match 56-27, finishing with 37 raid points, 12 tackle points and six All-Out points in a complete team performance.

Bharat finished as India’s leading scorer with 13 points, while Shivam contributed 11 and Neeraj added nine. Ajit Pawar also made an important contribution in defence, collecting five tackle points from eight attempts as India maintained their control throughout the contest.

In the second semi-final, Sri Lanka secured a place in the title match with a 28-24 victory over Kenya. Milinda Chathuranga and Sabihan scored six points each, while Viduranga added four. Made Dwiki Sanjaya led Sri Lanka’s defensive effort with five tackle points. Kenya remained competitive through the match, with Helvic Wanjala scoring nine points and Samuel Wafula contributing six, but Sri Lanka held their nerve to complete the win.

India captain Surjeet Singh said reaching the final of the inaugural championship was a proud moment for the team and stressed that the focus remains on completing the tournament unbeaten.

“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,” Surjeet said.

India will now face Sri Lanka in the men’s final on October 31 at 9:00 PM IST, with the hosts looking to complete an unbeaten campaign by lifting the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship title.