Kenya's men's and women's kabaddi teams both opened their accounts at the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026 with victories at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad on Friday, 23 October, though in starkly different fashion — the men commanding from the first whistle, the women grinding out a nervy win.

Men's Team: Kamweti Leads Dominant Show Against Singapore

The Kenyan men stormed past Singapore 48-28 in a performance built equally on raiding flair and defensive grit. James Kamweti was the standout, finishing with a game-high 19 points, while Samuel Wafula and Stephen Adongo chipped in with 8 and 7 points respectively. Kenya looked in control early, racing to a 28-11 half-time lead that effectively ended the contest as a competition.

The defensive unit was equally impressive. Wafula and Allan Omondi combined for 6 tackle points, with Kamweti, Reuben Njuguna, Jeremiah Aungage, Ryan Neville Onynago, Hosea Muthee, and Helvic Simuyuwanjala adding to the tally. Kenya outscored Singapore 12-6 in tackle points and 32-20 on raids. Mohamed Aidil Mutalib top-scored for Singapore with 9 points, while Aadit Senthilkumar contributed 6, but the duo found no answer to Kenya's raid dominance.

Women's Match: Odhiambo's 25-Point Haul Decides Tight Kenya-Bangladesh Clash

The women's fixture against Bangladesh was a far tighter affair, ending 34-25 to Kenya. Lavenda Odhiambo was the difference-maker, scoring a match-high 25 points in a low-scoring first half that Kenya edged 12-7. Kenya inflicted 4 all-outs on Bangladesh and outscored them 26-21 on raids.

Bangladesh fought back on multiple occasions, with Anzuara Ratry and Sraboni Mallick contributing 7 points each and Brishti Biswas adding 5, but the team could not land the decisive blow when it mattered most.

Other Results: Sri Lanka, Scotland, Uganda Assert Themselves

In the men's draw, Sri Lanka were dominant, beating Tanzania 48-21. Milinda Chathuranga and Adhan Viduranga scored 11 and 10 points respectively, while Sri Lanka inflicted 3 all-outs and outscored Tanzania 25-9 on raids. Juma Sultania top-scored for Tanzania with 7 points.

Scotland produced the day's most emphatic men's result, thumping Australia 59-30. Their attacking approach yielded 40 raid points, complemented by 8 tackle points and 4 all-outs. Jasmeet Grewal scored 8 points for Australia in a losing cause.

In the women's section, Uganda steamrolled Singapore 61-12, leading an astonishing 35-1 at the interval — the most one-sided result of the opening day.

What to Watch on Day Two

All eyes on Saturday, 24 October will turn to the Indian teams making their entries. The Indian men face Uganda at 8:30 pm IST, while the Indian women clash with Singapore at 6:45 pm IST — both matches expected to draw packed stands at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex.