# Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026: India Win Both Men's and Women's Titles in Ahmedabad

Source page: https://rankvyuh.com/current-affairs/news/commonwealth-kabaddi-championship-2026-india-wins-men-women-titles-ahmedabad  ·  Section: Reports, Awards & Sports  ·  Published: 2026-11-02  ·  Updated: 2026-11-02  ·  Language: en
Also in Hindi: https://rankvyuh.com/hi/current-affairs/news/commonwealth-kabaddi-championship-2026-india-wins-men-women-titles-ahmedabad-hindi

**In one line:** On 31 October 2026 at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, Ahmedabad, India won both finals of the first Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship: women beat Uganda 35-15 and men beat Sri Lanka 54-20, unbeaten throughout.

## Key facts
- **Edition:** First (inaugural) Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship
- **Dates:** 23–31 October 2026
- **Venue:** Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
- **Organiser:** Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), approved by the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF)
- **Participation:** 13 nations, 23 squads (13 men's, 10 women's), 62 matches
- **Women's final (31 Oct):** India 35-15 Uganda; captain Nidhi Sharma
- **Men's final (31 Oct):** India 54-20 Sri Lanka; captain Surjeet Singh
- **Theme:** One Breath. One Raid. One Commonwealth.

## Timeline
- 1990: Kabaddi becomes a medal event at the Asian Games (Khel Now)
- 26 Nov 2025: Ahmedabad formally awarded the 2030 Commonwealth Games at Commonwealth Sport's General Assembly in Glasgow
- 13 Apr 2026: Sports Minister Mandaviya says kabaddi, mallakhamb, kho-kho and yoga are under consideration for CWG 2030
- 23 Jul–2 Aug 2026: Glasgow Commonwealth Games held without kabaddi (Khel Now)
- 23 Oct 2026: First Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship begins in Ahmedabad
- 30 Oct 2026: Semi-finals: India men beat Bangladesh 56-27; India women beat Sri Lanka 39-14
- 31 Oct 2026: India win both finals: women 35-15 over Uganda, men 54-20 over Sri Lanka

## What happened

On **31 October 2026**, India won **both titles** at the first-ever **Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship** in **Ahmedabad, Gujarat**. Both finals were played the same evening at the **Veer Savarkar Sports Complex**.

- **Women:** India beat **Uganda 35-15**.
- **Men:** India beat **Sri Lanka 54-20**.

Neither Indian team lost a match in the tournament. Because this was the inaugural edition, India are the first Commonwealth champions in both categories.

## Background

- **Why this event:** Kabaddi has never been a medal sport at the Commonwealth Games (CWG). It was not on the programme of the Glasgow 2026 Games either. Khel Now points to limited recognition across Commonwealth countries and suggests that a lack of federations in many countries and a relatively weak international federation could also be reasons.
- **The 2030 link:** Ahmedabad was formally awarded the **2030 Commonwealth Games**, the centenary edition, on 26 November 2025 at Commonwealth Sport's General Assembly in Glasgow. On 13 April 2026 Sports Minister **Mansukh Mandaviya** said kabaddi, mallakhamb, kho-kho and yoga were being considered and that two of them should make the cut (PTI, via ThePrint). In August 2026 ThePrint reported that kabaddi and yoga were still only under consideration, not confirmed.
- **Organisers:** The championship was organised by the **Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI)** with approval from the **International Kabaddi Federation (IKF)**. Telangana Today reported that it was expected to strengthen kabaddi's case for CWG inclusion and to showcase Ahmedabad's hosting capacity.
- **Asian Games:** Kabaddi has been an Asian Games medal event since 1990 (Khel Now).

## Key details

| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dates | 23–31 October 2026 (semi-finals 30 Oct, finals 31 Oct) |
| Venue | Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, Naranpura, Ahmedabad |
| Nations | 13: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Uganda, England, Scotland, Australia |
| Squads | 23 (13 men's, 10 women's), more than 400 athletes |
| Matches | 62 (39 men's, 23 women's) |
| Theme | One Breath. One Raid. One Commonwealth. |
| Broadcast | Star Sports (TV), JioHotstar (streaming) |

**India's captains:** men, **Surjeet Singh** (vice-captain Naveen Kumar); women, **Nidhi Sharma** (vice-captain Ritu).

**Women's final: India 35-15 Uganda.** India led 22-7 at half-time. **Sakshi** top-scored with 9 raid points, Anu added 6 and captain Nidhi Sharma 5. Ritu and Suman took 4 tackle points each. Uganda's Nakayongo Shirat scored 11 of her team's 15 points. Sakshi finished the event with 52 points from six matches. India's women won all six games, including a 73-13 win over Malaysia and a 39-14 semi-final win over Sri Lanka. Uganda reached the final by beating Kenya 23-21.

**Men's final: India 54-20 Sri Lanka.** India led 30-10 at half-time and inflicted four All-Outs without conceding one. **Aditya Shinde** scored a Super 10 (10 raid points), Bharat Hooda 8 and Pankaj Mohite 6. **Yogesh Dahiya** made a High 5 (five tackles from five attempts). India's men won all eight matches, scoring 380 points and conceding 193, and beat Bangladesh 56-27 in the semi-final. Sri Lanka reached the final by beating Kenya 28-24.

## Why it matters

- **First Commonwealth titles:** India are the first champions in both men's and women's kabaddi at Commonwealth level.
- **Case for CWG 2030:** Holding a 13-nation event in the 2030 host city gives the sport a track record to present for inclusion.
- **Women's kabaddi:** A 10-team women's draw gave the women's game its own international title alongside the men's.
- **Indigenous sport as soft power:** Kabaddi is a traditional Indian sport, and spreading it to African, European and Oceanian teams can support India's sports diplomacy.

## Issues and criticism

- **Uneven contest:** Several results were one-sided. In the men's group stage Nigeria ended with a score difference of -273 and Australia with -189 (Pro Kabaddi points table). This shows how far newer kabaddi nations are behind.
- **Thin global base:** Khel Now suggests that many countries lack a kabaddi federation, which would be a hurdle for inclusion in any multi-sport Games.
- **No decision yet:** Kabaddi's place at the 2030 Games is still a proposal, not a confirmed event.

## Way forward

- Hold the championship regularly so that it becomes a fixed part of the international calendar.
- Help AKFI and IKF set up and train national federations, coaches and referees in emerging kabaddi nations.
- Pursue kabaddi's case with Commonwealth Sport using participation data from this event.

## Prelims pointers

- The first Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship was held from 23 to 31 October 2026 in Ahmedabad.
- Venue: Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, Naranpura, Ahmedabad.
- Organised by AKFI with approval from IKF; 13 nations and 23 squads took part.
- Women's final: India beat Uganda 35-15 (captain Nidhi Sharma).
- Men's final: India beat Sri Lanka 54-20 (captain Surjeet Singh).
- Both Indian teams finished unbeaten.
- Ahmedabad will host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, the centenary edition.

## One-liners for SSC, Banking and Railways

- Host city of the first Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship: Ahmedabad (2026).
- Winner of both titles: India.
- Runner-up, women's final: Uganda.
- Runner-up, men's final: Sri Lanka.
- Organising federation: Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI).

Practise more sports questions in the [weekly current affairs quiz](/current-affairs), or see the [SSC CGL](/ssc-cgl) page for exam updates.

## Mains practice question

**Q.** India hosted and won the first Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship in 2026, ahead of hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games. Discuss how promoting indigenous sports internationally can serve India's soft power, and the challenges involved. (150 words)

Points to cover:

1. The facts: 13 nations, both titles won by India, Ahmedabad as the 2030 CWG host.
2. Soft power: sharing a traditional sport, people-to-people links and the host-city image.
3. Challenges: weak federations abroad, one-sided matches, and the need for Commonwealth Sport approval.
4. Way forward: a regular championship, capacity building abroad and an evidence-based case for inclusion.

## Exam angle
- **UPSC:** Prelims: sports current affairs (first edition, venue, winners). GS II/IV and Essay: sports diplomacy, indigenous sports and soft power.
- **SSC:** Static-plus-current GK: host city, venue, finals and opponents, India's captains.
- **Banking:** General Awareness one-liners: tournament, host city, winners and runners-up.
- **Railways:** RRB NTPC/Group D GK: India's double, final scores and the organising federation (AKFI).
- **State PSC:** Gujarat and other state PSCs: Ahmedabad as a sports host city ahead of the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

## Key terms
- **All-Out:** When every player of one team is out, the other team gets bonus points and the whole side is revived. India inflicted four All-Outs in the men's final.
- **Super 10:** A raider scoring 10 or more raid points in one match.
- **High 5:** A defender scoring 5 or more tackle points in one match.
- **Do-or-die raid:** A raid a team must score on after two empty raids in a row; if it fails, the raider is out.
- **Super Tackle:** A successful tackle made when the defending side has three or fewer players on the mat; it earns an extra point.

## Sources
- [Pro Kabaddi: India men crowned Commonwealth champions, beat Sri Lanka 54-20 (31 Oct 2026)](https://www.prokabaddi.com/news/commonwealth-kabaddi-championship-2026-india-men-champions-beat-sri-lanka-final)
- [Pro Kabaddi: India women crowned champions after 35-15 win over Uganda (31 Oct 2026)](https://www.prokabaddi.com/news/commonwealth-kabaddi-championship-2026-india-women-champions-beat-uganda-final)
- [Pro Kabaddi: Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026 final results and points table](https://www.prokabaddi.com/features/commonwealth-kabaddi-championship-2026-final-results-points-table)
- [ANI: India complete Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship double (31 Oct 2026)](https://www.aninews.in/news/sports/others/india-complete-commonwealth-kabaddi-c8217ship-double-with-men8217s-team8217s-final-win-over-sri-lanka20261031225211/)
- [Gujarat Samachar: India women dominate Uganda 35-15 in Ahmedabad (31 Oct 2026)](https://english.gujaratsamachar.com/news/ahmedabad/india-women-dominate-uganda-35-15-win-commonwealth-kabaddi-championship-2026-in-ahmedabad-27108824743)
- [Telangana Today: Ahmedabad gears up for first Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship from October 23 (Oct 2026)](https://telanganatoday.com/ahmedabad-gears-up-for-first-commonwealth-kabaddi-championship-from-october-23)
- [Wikipedia: 2026 Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship (venue, teams)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Commonwealth_Kabaddi_Championship)
- [Khel Now: Why kabaddi is not part of the Commonwealth Games (Jul 2026)](https://khelnow.com/kabaddi/why-kabaddi-not-part-commonwealth-games-202607)
- [ThePrint (PTI): Two indigenous sports, cricket and hockey at 2030 CWG, says Mandaviya (13 Apr 2026)](https://theprint.in/sport/two-indigenous-indian-sports-and-cricket-hockey-definitely-at-2030-cwg-mandaviya/2903686)
- [ThePrint: Ahmedabad 2030 Commonwealth Games, yoga and kabaddi under consideration (4 Aug 2026)](https://theprint.in/sport/ahmedabad-2030-commonwealth-games-yoga-kabaddi/3005168/)
- [The Tribune: Ahmedabad formally awarded hosting rights of 2030 Commonwealth Games (26 Nov 2025)](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/sports/ahmedabad-formally-awarded-hosting-rights-of-2030-commonwealth-games)

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