India created history by winning the men’s title at the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026 after beating Sri Lanka 54-20 in the final in Ahmedabad on Saturday.The victory also completed a double for India, as the women’s team had earlier defeated Uganda 35-15 to win their title.Aditya Shinde led India’s attack with 10 raid points, while Bharat Hooda added eight points, all in the second half. Pankaj Mohite scored six points and vice-captain Naveen Kumar contributed five. Yogesh Dahiya was outstanding in defence, scoring five tackle points without missing a single attempt.India took control early, leading 15-8 before increasing their advantage to 30-10 at half-time. Their raiders and defenders continued to put pressure on Sri Lanka after the break, helping India inflict four All-Outs during the match.Sri Lanka struggled to find scoring opportunities, with their raiders managing only 11 points. Maduwantha was their best performer with six tackle points, but the team could not match India’s attacking strength.Shinde, who was India’s top scorer, praised the support from the Ahmedabad crowd after the victory.He said, “With more and more tournaments being held, it’s great for the people of Ahmedabad too, and we received so much support from them. We hope everyone comes out to support us the same way in the competitions ahead. There will be a celebration, a really big one, and it’s already going on here!”
India finish unbeaten campaign
India ended the championship with a perfect record of eight wins from eight matches. They topped Group A with six victories, defeated Bangladesh 56-27 in the semifinal and then beat Sri Lanka in the final.The team scored 380 points throughout the competition while conceding just 193, underlining their dominance and making them the first men’s champions of the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship.
