India Into Semis as Kabaddi Title Race Hits Decider Day

India are through to the semifinals of the first-ever Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship, and the rest of the field now faces a day of reckoning. The hosts sealed their place in the last four with a 48-20 win over Tanzania at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, October 27, and Wednesday, October 28, is the penultimate day of the group stage — the day on which Kenya, Sri Lanka and Uganda can all book their own semifinal places.

The tournament, played from October 23 to 31, is the first Commonwealth championship in kabaddi's history, and it carries a bigger prize than the trophy itself. Ahmedabad was chosen because it will host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, and the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) is using this event to build kabaddi's case for inclusion as a medal sport at a future Commonwealth Games. Thirteen nations are playing the men's event and ten the women's, with the top two teams from each group reaching the semifinals on October 30 and the finals on October 31.

India 48-20 Tanzania: a semifinal sealed in style

India's win over Tanzania was as complete as the scoreline suggests. The hosts scored 30 raid points to Tanzania's 15 and 10 tackle points to five, and inflicted six all-outs while suffering none themselves. In kabaddi, an all-out — dismissing every defender on court — is worth bonus points and swings momentum hard; six of them in one match is a statement, not a statistic.

Neeraj Narwal led the raiding with 12 points from 16 raids, including six bonus points. Naveen Kumar and Shivam Patare added nine points each, both from 11 raids, which meant India never had to lean on a single raider. In defence, Shubham Shinde led with five tackle points, Deepak added three and Pravesh Malik two. Tanzania's Juma Sultania fought hard for 13 points from 20 raids, nine of them bonus points, but one outstanding raider cannot carry a team against a side scoring in every department.

The win took India to five wins from five in men's Group A, worth 10 points, with a score difference of +103. India still have one group game to play, against Sri Lanka on Thursday, October 29, but their semifinal place is already secure. That game will decide who tops the group — and, just as importantly, who India avoid in the semifinals.

Tuesday's other results: Malaysia, Bangladesh and Canada win

India were not the only winners on Tuesday. Malaysia won in both the men's and women's competitions, keeping their own campaigns alive. In the men's event, Bangladesh beat Singapore 60-28 and Canada also won, while in the women's event Malaysia beat Singapore 62-17 to keep their semifinal hopes alive and Kenya beat Scotland 61-16 to continue a perfect run.

Those results matter because the group tables are tight behind the leaders. In men's Group A, Sri Lanka sit second on eight points from four wins, with Uganda and Malaysia both on four points. In men's Group B, Kenya lead on six points from three wins, with Bangladesh, Canada and Singapore all on four points. In the women's event, India lead Group A on eight points from four wins and Kenya lead Group B on eight points from four wins, with Sri Lanka second in Group B on six points.

The standings going into October 28

Men's Group A	Played	Won	Lost	Score diff.	Points
India	5	5	0	+103	10
Sri Lanka	4	4	0	+90	8
Uganda	4	2	2	+25	4
Malaysia	5	2	3	-9	4
England	4	1	3	-21	2
Tanzania	4	1	3	-23	2
Nigeria	4	0	4	-165	0

Men's Group B	Played	Won	Lost	Score diff.	Points
Kenya	3	3	0	+86	6
Bangladesh	3	2	1	+70	4
Canada	3	2	1	+39	4
Singapore	4	2	2	-3	4
Scotland	4	1	3	-90	2
Australia	3	0	3	-102	0

Women's Group A	Played	Won	Lost	Points
India	4	4	0	8
Uganda	4	3	1	6
Malaysia	4	2	2	4
Nigeria	4	1	3	2
Singapore	4	0	4	0

Women's Group B	Played	Won	Lost	Points
Kenya	4	4	0	8
Sri Lanka	4	3	1	6
Bangladesh	4	2	2	4
Scotland	4	1	3	2
England	4	0	4	0

A win is worth two points, and teams level on points are separated by score difference. The top two in each group go through. Those two rules explain why Wednesday matters so much: several teams can still finish second, and score difference — India are +103, Sri Lanka +90, Kenya +86 in the men's groups — could yet decide who goes through.

Wednesday's three deciders

Three matches on October 28 can settle semifinal places. First, Kenya qualify from men's Group B if they beat Canada. Kenya have been the surprise package of that group, unbeaten in three games with a +86 score difference, and a win over a Canada side also sitting on four points would remove the biggest threat to their place in the last four.

Second, Sri Lanka qualify from men's Group A if they beat England. Sri Lanka are unbeaten in four games and have the second-best score difference in the tournament at +90. England, on two points from four games, are playing for survival as much as pride — a win would keep their own slim hopes alive and throw Group A wide open again.

Third, Uganda qualify from women's Group A if they beat Nigeria. Uganda sit second on six points behind India's perfect eight, and a win would put them out of reach of Malaysia, who sit third on four points. The women's fixtures on Wednesday also include Bangladesh against England, while the men's card is completed by Nigeria against Malaysia, Bangladesh against Australia, and Uganda against Tanzania.

What happens next

Thursday, October 29, is the final day of group matches. The standout fixture is India against Sri Lanka in men's Group A — a dress rehearsal that could also be a semifinal preview, depending on how the other group finishes. England play Tanzania, Bangladesh play Scotland, Canada play Singapore, and Kenya play Australia in the other men's games.

The semifinals follow on Friday, October 30, with the women's semifinals in the early evening and the men's semifinals later that night, and the finals on Saturday, October 31 — the women's final in the evening and the men's final at night. For the hosts, the equation is now simple: one more group win, then two knockout wins, and the first Commonwealth kabaddi title stays in Ahmedabad.

The Pakistan angle: watching from the outside

For Pakistani fans, this tournament comes with a frustrating footnote. Pakistan, one of kabaddi's traditional powers, are not in Ahmedabad. As this blog reported on October 21, Pakistan withdrew from the championship after the government did not permit the team to travel to India, despite the IKF confirming that India had given permission for the team to take part. IKF general secretary Tejasvi Gehlot confirmed the withdrawal, saying the organisers had completed the paperwork but were told Pakistan's athletes would not be able to come.

That absence is felt most in a tournament like this one. Pakistan against India is kabaddi's great rivalry — the two sides met in the Asian Kabaddi Championship final as recently as 2017, when India won — and a Commonwealth championship without Pakistan is missing one of the sport's heavyweights. For now, Pakistani fans are left to follow a tournament their team should have been contesting, and to hope the next edition, wherever it is held, does not come with the same political barrier.

Why this championship matters beyond the medals

Kabaddi has been pushing for wider recognition for years. It is Bangladesh's national sport, it draws huge television audiences in India through the Pro Kabaddi League, and it has been played at the Asian Games since 1990. The Commonwealth Games, though, have never included it as a medal sport. The IKF has said this championship must satisfy five criteria for kabaddi to be included in a future Commonwealth Games programme, and staging a successful first edition in a future host city is a deliberate part of that campaign.

That context is why the crowds in Ahmedabad matter as much as the scores. Free entry, a full nine-day schedule, and a host nation winning in style are exactly the images the IKF wants to show Commonwealth Games decision-makers. If the semifinals and finals deliver close, high-scoring matches — and the group stage suggests they might, with India, Sri Lanka and Kenya all unbeaten in their groups — kabaddi's case will be stronger for it.

How to follow the final days

The championship is broadcast on the Star Sports network in the region, with live streaming available on JioStar. The remaining schedule is straightforward: group games finish on Thursday, October 29, the semifinals are on Friday, October 30, and both finals are on Saturday, October 31. Cric Sports Daily will carry the semifinal picture once Thursday's group games are complete.

One note on timing: this post was written on the evening of Wednesday, October 28, while that day's matches were still being played, so it reports the standings and the qualification equations going into the day rather than Wednesday's final scores. No Wednesday result has been claimed here that had not been confirmed at the time of writing.

Sources: IANS via LatestLY, MyKhel and Devdiscourse (India 48-20 Tanzania, player scores, semifinal date); Pro Kabaddi League day 5 and day 6 reports (points tables, qualification equations, fixtures); Khel Now and iSportsLeague (schedule, results, broadcast details); ANI via APNA MA TV (IKF general secretary Tejasvi Gehlot on Pakistan's absence). Images are original illustrations created for this post, not photographs from the championship.