Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship: India's Women Face Malaysia, Men Take On England in Opener

The inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship will begin in Ahmedabad on Friday, with India opening its campaign against Malaysia in the women's competition and England in the men's event at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex. The nine-day tournament will run from October 23 to 31 and feature 23 teams from 13 nations across 62 matches, including 39 men's and 23 women's fixtures. India's women's team, captained by Nidhi Sharma, will face Malaysia at 6:45 PM, while Surjeet Singh's men's side will take on England at 8:30 PM. The opening match of the championship will see Kenya face Singapore in a men's Group B clash at 11:00 AM. In the men's competition, India is placed in Group A with Nigeria, Malaysia, Uganda, England, Tanzania and Sri Lanka, while Group B includes Bangladesh, Kenya, Canada, Australia, Scotland and Singapore. India's 14-member men's squad features vice-captain Naveen Kumar, Sachin Tanwar, Pankaj Mohite, Bharat Hooda, Shubham Shinde and Parvesh Bhainswal. After England, India will face Uganda on October 24, Malaysia on October 25, Nigeria on October 26, Tanzania on October 27 and Sri Lanka on October 29. The women's event has 10 teams in two groups of five. India shares Group A with Singapore, Nigeria, Uganda and Malaysia, while Bangladesh, Kenya, England, Scotland and Sri Lanka form Group B. Ritu is the women's vice-captain, with Muskan Sharma, Riya Kumari, Simran Kamboj and Karthika Ramesh also in the squad. India will meet Singapore on October 24, Uganda on October 25 and Nigeria on October 26 after facing Malaysia. The top two teams from each group will reach the semifinals on October 30, with both finals scheduled for October 31. The tournament is organised by the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India with approval from the International Kabaddi Federation, and comes as Ahmedabad prepares to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games.