The India men's national kabaddi team represents India in international men's kabaddi competitions. The team is by far the most successful national kabaddi side of any country, winning gold medals at the Asian Games in 1990 (the first year the sport was contested), 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2022, as well as winning all three Kabaddi World Cup events to date. Pawan Sehrawat is the current captain of the team since 2022.[1][2]
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| Association | Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) |
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| Region | Asian Kabaddi Federation (AKF) |
| Head coach | Bhaskaran Edachery |
| Captain | Pawan Sehrawat |
| Affiliation(s) | International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) |
| Website | Indian Kabaddi Federation |
History edit
1990s edit
Kabaddi was contested at the Asian Games as a competitive (non-exhibition) sport for the first time in 1990. India beat Bangladesh in the gold medal match for both the 1990 Asian Games and 1994 Asian Games. India lost to Pakistan in the 1993 South Asian Games gold medal match.[3] In the 1998 Asian Games held in Bangkok, the team beat arch rivals Pakistan for the gold medal.[4][5]
2000s edit
India beat Bangladesh in the gold medal match of the 2002 Asian Games, held in Busan.[6]
India won the inaugural Kabaddi World Cup in 2004, beating Iran by a 55–27 margin. They repeated the feat three years later, beating the Iranians 29–19.[7]
At the 2006 Asian Games, India beat Pakistan 35–23 to win their fifth gold medal at the tournament.[8]
2010s edit
In the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games, India continued to dominate, winning gold on both occasions.[9][10]
When the Kabaddi World Cup resumed again in 2016 after a nine-year hiatus, India beat Iran for the third final in a row by 38–29.[11]
In 2017, India won the Asian Kabaddi Championship led by raider Ajay Thakur by defeating Pakistan in the final by 36–22.[12]
India won the 2018 Dubai Kabaddi Masters tournament, beating Iran 44–26 in the final.[13][14]
At the 2018 Asian Games, India lost to South Korea 23–24 in the group stages – this was the Indian team's first ever loss in their history at the Asian Games. Despite the loss, India qualified for the semi-finals, but lost 27–18 to Iran, who went on to win the gold.[15][16]
India won the gold at the 2019 South Asian Games led by Deepak Niwas Hooda, beating Sri Lanka in the final by 51–18 with raider Naveen Kumar Goyat bagging a Super 10.[17][18]
2020s edit
The Indian team have not played in any tournaments for a long time since December 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2023, India won the Asian Kabaddi Championship by defeating Iran in the final by 42–32.[19]
Results and fixtures edit
2023 edit
Asian Games
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Tournament history edit
Standard kabaddi edit
World Cup edit
| Year | Rank | Pld | W | D | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 2004 |
Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 |
Champions | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 |
Champions | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
 2025 |
TBD | ||||
| Total | 3/3 | 18 | 17 | 0 | 1 |
Asian Games edit
| Year | Rank | M | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1990 |
Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 234 | 84 | +150 |
 1994 |
Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 227 | 78 | +149 |
 1998 |
Champions | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 295 | 119 | +176 |
 2002 |
Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 224 | 84 | +140 |
 2006 |
Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 188 | 106 | +82 |
| 2010 |
Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 166 | 80 | +86 |
| 2014 |
Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 182 | 103 | +79 |
 2018 |
Third place | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 184 | 130 | +54 |
| 2022 |
Champions | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 318 | 144 | +174 |
| Total | 9/9 | 45 | 43 | 0 | 2 | 2018 | 928 | +1090 |
Asian Kabaddi Championship edit
| Asian Kabaddi Championship | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Host country | Position |
| 1980 | India
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| 1988 | ||
| 2000 |  Sri Lanka
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| 2001 | Thailand
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| 2002 |  Malaysia
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| 2003 | GS | |
| 2005 |  Iran
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| 2017 | ||
| 2023 | South Korea
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South Asian Games edit
| South Asian Games | ||
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| Year | Host city | Position |
| 1985 |  Dhaka, Bangladesh
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| 1987 | Kolkata, India
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| 1989 |  Islamabad, Pakistan
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| 1993 | Dhaka, Bangladesh
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| 1995 | Madras, India
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| 1999 |  Kathmandu, Nepal
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| 2004 | Islamabad, Pakistan
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| 2006 | Colombo, Sri Lanka
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| 2010 | Dhaka, Bangladesh
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| 2016 | Guwahati & Shillong, India
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| 2019 | Kathmandu, Pokhara & Janakpur, Nepal
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Dubai Kabaddi Masters edit
| Year | Rank | Pld | W | D | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 2018 |
Champions | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 1/1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
Beach kabaddi edit
Asian Beach Games edit
| Year | Rank | Pld | W | D | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 |
Champions | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
 2010 |
Champions | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 |
Third place | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2014 |
Third place | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
 2016 |
Runners-up | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 5/5 | 23 | 16 | 2 | 5 |
South Asian Beach Games edit
| Year | Rank | Pld | W | D | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 |
Runners-up | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 1/1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Indoor kabaddi edit
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games edit
| Year | Rank | Pld | W | D | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 2007 |
Champions | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 |
Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 |
Participated as Independent Olympic Athletes (IOA) | ||||
| Total | 2/3 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
Circle kabaddi edit
Circle World Cup edit
| Year | Rank | Pld | W | D | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 |
Champions | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 |
Champions | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 |
Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 |
Champions | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 |
Champions | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 |
Champions | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 |
Runners-up | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 7/7 | 44 | 43 | 0 | 1 |
Circle Asian Cup edit
| Year | Rank | Pld | W | D | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 |
Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 |
Runners-up | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 2016 |
Runners-up | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 3/3 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 2 |
Honours edit
World edit
Asia edit
South Asia edit
- South Asian Games:
- Gold Medal (10): 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2016, 2019
- Silver Medal (1): 1993
Current squad edit
| Name |
|---|
| Nitesh Kumar |
| Parvesh Bhainswal |
| Sachin Tanwar |
| Surjeet Singh Narwal |
| Vishal Bhardwaj |
| Arjun Deshwal |
| Aslam Inamdar |
| Naveen Kumar |
| Pawan Sehrawat (C) |
| Sunil Kumar |
| Nitin Rawal |
| Akash Shinde |
Players edit
Captains edit
| List of Indian Kabbadi captains |
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Notable players edit
References edit
- ^ "India Kabaddi Team". Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "IndianKabadii.org". Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "5 instances when India lost a Kabaddi match". Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "History Of Kabaddi". Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Did you know India won gold in kabaddi in Asian Games since 1990, and all World Cups?". Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "India historically dominate kabaddi in Asian Games; Iran defending champions ahead of 2022 Hangzhou Games". Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "India men's kabaddi team: Full list of major trophies won by national side". Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Gameplay Kabaddi at the Asian Games 2006". Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Asian Games: India beat Iran to win record 6th kabaddi gold". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Kabaddi at Asian Games: Indian men and women rule the roost". Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Favourites India win 2016 Kabaddi World Cup, defeat Iran 38-28 in the final". Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "India thump Pakistan, South Korea to win Asian Kabaddi Championship 2017 titles". Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "India reign supreme in Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018, clinch title with easy win over Iran". Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018: India humble Kenya 48-19, win second consecutive match". Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Asian Games 2018: India kabaddi team suffer shock defeat to South Korea". Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Asian Games 2018: losing to Iran, India fail to reach men's kabaddi final for first time". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Naveen Kumar's Super 10 helps India bag 10th kabaddi gold at South Asian Games". Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "India continue fine form at South Asian Games". Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Asian Kabaddi Championship 2023: India beat Iran in final to win title".