Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship: Indian men and women's teams enter finals

India marched into the men's and women's finals of the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship with convincing semifinal victories on Friday. The men defeated Bangladesh, while the women outclassed Sri Lanka to move within a win of the title.Indian men's and women's teams are in the final of the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championships. (PTI Photo)New Delhi,Oct 31, 2026 08:33 ISTIndia's men's and women's teams booked their places in the finals of the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship after registering convincing semifinal victories on Friday. While the men's team defeated Bangladesh 56-27 to set up a title clash against Sri Lanka, the women outclassed Sri Lanka 39-14 and will face Uganda in the final.The Indian men's team dominated Bangladesh from the opening minutes, inflicting an All-Out within the first five minutes. Naveen Kumar and Neeraj Narwal led the raiding department, while Deepak S and Shubham Shinde provided stability in defence.India carried a commanding 28-8 lead into half-time after inflicting a second All-Out with eight minutes remaining in the opening half. The hosts continued to extend their advantage after the restart, moving to 38-16 with 10 minutes left on the clock.Bharat Hooda further troubled the Bangladesh defence as India inflicted another All-Out with four minutes remaining to take a 49-20 lead. Bangladesh could not mount a comeback as India closed out a comfortable 29-point victory. Bharat finished as India's leading scorer with 13 points, while Shivam Patare contributed 11 and Neeraj Narwal added nine. Ajit Pawar also impressed in defence, collecting five tackle points from eight attempts.India registered 37 raid points and 12 tackle points, along with six points from All-Outs. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, secured the other men's final spot after beating Kenya 28-24 in a closely contested semifinal. Milinda Chathuranga and Sabihan scored six points each for the winners, while Made Dwiki Sanjaya contributed five tackle points.INDIA WOMEN SET UP FINAL AGAINST UGANDAThe Indian women's team was equally impressive, defeating Sri Lanka 39-14 to reach the summit clash. India established control early in the contest and went into the half-time break with a 24-7 advantage.Sakshi led the Indian scoring effort with 11 points, including eight raid points and three tackle points. Captain Nidhi Sharma also played an important role, collecting 10 points from 12 raids.Ritu contributed four tackle points, while Suman added three as India inflicted three All-Outs to maintain their dominance over Sri Lanka.The hosts will now face Uganda, who booked their place in the final after edging Kenya 23-21 in a thrilling semifinal.Uganda held a 12-9 lead at half-time and extended the advantage to 18-12 with seven minutes remaining. However, Kenya fought back through Lavenda Odhiambo, who produced an impressive 16 raid points, including six bonus points.Uganda managed to hold on to their advantage, with their first-half All-Out and a perfect record in five do-or-die raids proving crucial in the closing stages.Nakayongo Shirat and substitute Nalwoga Nahia scored eight points each for Uganda, while captain Nalubega Olivia added three tackle points.India will face Uganda in the women's final at 7.30 pm on Saturday, while the men's team will take on Sri Lanka at 9 pm.- Ends