India's men's kabaddi team stormed into the final of the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026 with a dominant 56-27 semifinal victory over Bangladesh at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad on Friday, 31 October 2026. The women's team also sealed their berth in the summit clash, defeating Sri Lanka Women 39-14, setting up a final against Uganda Women on 31 October.

Men's Semifinal: India Demolish Bangladesh

India wasted no time asserting control, with Naveen Kumar and Neeraj Narwal spearheading the raiding charge while Deepak S and Shubham Shinde anchored a disciplined defence. Dipayon Golder opened Bangladesh's account with a successful raid, but India quickly responded — inflicting their first All-Out within the opening five minutes.

Bharat Hooda and Shivam Patare took over raiding duties as India stretched their advantage. A second All-Out arrived with eight minutes left in the first half, sending India into the break with a commanding 28-8 lead. Bangladesh failed to register a single tackle point in the entire first period, with Dipayon Golder and Md Rahman carrying their scoring burden through raids alone.

India never relented after the restart. Leading 38-16 with 10 minutes remaining, Hooda inflicted a third All-Out with four minutes on the clock to extend the margin to 49-20. The final scoreline of 56-27 told the full story: 37 raid points, 12 tackle points, and six All-Out points for India.

Bharat Hooda top-scored with 13 points, followed by Shivam Patare with 11 and Neeraj Narwal with 9. Defender Ajit Pawar was equally impressive, finishing with five tackle points from eight tackles.

Men's Second Semifinal: Sri Lanka Edge Kenya 28-24

India's final opponents were determined in a tightly fought second semifinal, where Sri Lanka held off a resilient Kenya side to win 28-24. Milinda Chathuranga and Sabihan contributed six points each for Sri Lanka, with Viduranga adding four. Defender Made Dwiki Sanjaya starred with five tackle points. For Kenya, Helvic Wanjala top-scored with nine points and Samuel Wafula added six in a spirited but ultimately unsuccessful effort.

Women's Semifinal: India Outclass Sri Lanka

India's women were equally commanding, racing to a 24-7 half-time lead against Sri Lanka before closing out a 39-14 victory. Captain Nidhi Sharma contributed 10 points from 12 raids, including two bonus points, while Sakshi led all scorers with 11 points — eight from raids and three from tackles. Ritu anchored the defence with four tackle points, and Suman chipped in with three. India inflicted three All-Outs and registered 21 raid points and 12 tackle points.

For Sri Lanka, Diluxshana top-scored with six points, including five bonus points, while Priyavarna produced a Super Tackle — but Sri Lanka managed just eight successful raids across the entire match.

In the other women's semifinal, Uganda Women edged Kenya Women 23-21 in a contest that went down to the final minute to set up the India showdown.

India Women's Captain Looks Ahead to Final

Speaking after the victory, India women's captain Nidhi Sharma said, 'I'm very happy; it feels really good to have reached the final. We have played Uganda before, but they will change their strategy because it's the second time we're facing them, so it will be a good match.' The remark signals India's awareness that Uganda, having scouted India in an earlier encounter, will arrive at the final with tactical adjustments.

Both the men's and women's finals are scheduled for 31 October 2026 at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, Ahmedabad, where India will be looking to complete a historic double at the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship.