Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship: India Women Clinch Inaugural Title With Unbeaten Run

India's women's kabaddi team created history by winning the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship, defeating Uganda 35-15 in the final in Ahmedabad to secure the gold medal. India completed a flawless campaign, registering six victories in as many matches to emerge as the tournament's first-ever women's champions.

Sakshi led India's raiding department with an impressive nine points from 10 attempts, including two bonus points. She was particularly effective in the opening half, scoring seven points through six successful raids. Anu contributed six raid points, while captain Nidhi Sharma added five, including three bonus points.

India's defensive unit was equally impressive, with Ritu and Suman collecting four tackle points apiece. The champions accumulated 20 raid points and 10 tackle points while inflicting two All-Outs on Uganda.

Uganda relied heavily on Nakayongo Shirat, who scored 11 of her team's 15 points. She attempted 24 raids and registered three bonus points. However, India managed to restrict the contributions of Uganda's other raiders, including semi-final standout Nalwoga Nahia, who was limited to just one point.

India established control early in the contest. Leading 7-3 with 10 minutes remaining in the first half, they produced a dominant 15-4 scoring sequence to extend their advantage to 22-7 at the interval. Uganda failed to stop a single Indian raid in the opening half, while India successfully executed six tackles.

Although Uganda slightly improved after the restart, winning the second-half raid battle 7-6, India's second All-Out with less than 10 minutes remaining effectively sealed the contest.

Sakshi, who finished the championship with 52 points in six matches, expressed her happiness after the historic triumph. She also highlighted the importance of international tournaments in helping the sport grow and providing young players with valuable experience.

India's road to the title was equally impressive. They began with a 73-13 victory over Malaysia before defeating Singapore 32-16, Uganda 41-18 and Nigeria 38-10 to finish unbeaten at the top of Group A. They subsequently overcame Sri Lanka 39-14 in the semi-final before completing their campaign with a convincing victory over Uganda in the final.