Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026: Uganda Women Set Up Kenya Semifinal Clash, Sri Lanka Advance

Ahmedabad, Oct 29: Uganda's women stormed into the semifinals of the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026 with a commanding 65-22 victory over Nigeria, setting up a clash against Kenya, while Sri Lanka's men and women also secured places in the last four on Wednesday.

At the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, Kenya and Bangladesh strengthened their positions in men's Group B with emphatic wins. Kenya defeated previously unbeaten Canada 49-20, while Bangladesh overwhelmed Australia 69-30 to finish second in the group and keep their campaign alive.

Sri Lanka's men also produced a dominant performance, defeating England 50-22, with Viduranga contributing 11 points and Lakshita adding nine. Sri Lanka will face hosts India on Thursday in a decisive Group A encounter to determine the group toppers.

Uganda Women Dominate After Competitive Start

Uganda's women initially faced resistance from Nigeria but shifted gears after the Nigerian coach called a timeout with Uganda leading 16-9. They subsequently produced an 18-point unanswered run to take control of the contest.

Uganda held a commanding 35-12 advantage at halftime and maintained their dominance in the second half. Nalwoga Nahia led the scoring with 22 points, while Nalubega Olivia contributed 11. Uganda finished with a 44-15 advantage in raid points, collected 12 tackle points and inflicted eight all-outs.

The victory confirmed Uganda's second-place finish in Group B and a semifinal meeting with group leaders Kenya. In the other women's semifinal, India, who topped Group A, will take on Sri Lanka.

Kenya, Bangladesh Impress in Men's Competition

Kenya's balanced performance proved decisive against Canada, with Stephen Adongo scoring six points and Rodgers Atieno and Samuel Wafula adding five each. Kenya secured 24 raid points and 15 tackle points while inflicting four all-outs.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, relied on Dipayon Golder's 21 points and Md Liton Ali's 14 to overpower Australia. Ibrahim Khaleel and Amol Roy chipped in with seven points apiece as Bangladesh recorded 41 raid points and 15 tackle points, inflicting 12 all-outs.

Elsewhere, Malaysia thrashed Nigeria 78-13, while Uganda's men edged Tanzania 35-28 in a closely fought encounter. Uganda held a narrow 16-14 halftime lead before pulling away in the second half, finishing with advantages of 19-16 in raid points and 15-11 in tackle points.

In the women's competition, Bangladesh defeated England 79-13, powered by Sraboni Mollick's 27 points and Bristhi Biswas's 12. However, defeats against Kenya and Sri Lanka had already ended Bangladesh's semifinal hopes.

With the group-stage contests nearing their conclusion, attention now turns to Thursday's fixtures, which will determine the final standings and set the stage for the championship's knockout rounds.