India complete double at inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship in Ahmedabad

India swept both titles at the first Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship on Saturday, with the men's and women's teams winning their finals comfortably in front of a home crowd in Ahmedabad.

Men dominate Sri Lanka

India's men beat Sri Lanka 54-20 in the final, having led 30-10 at half-time. Raider Aditya Shinde was the standout performer, collecting 10 raid points from 14 raids, including four bonus points. Bharat Hooda added eight raid points, Pankaj Mohite contributed six points and Naveen Kumar five, while Yogesh Dahiya anchored the defence with five successful tackles.

For Sri Lanka, Maduwantha was the top scorer with six tackle points, including two Super Tackles. India had reached the final with a 56-27 semi-final win over Bangladesh and went through the tournament unbeaten.

Shinde said the team had felt the crowd's support throughout and that a big celebration was already under way.

Women set the tone

Earlier in the evening, the women's team defeated Uganda 35-15 to become the first champions of the event. Sakshi led the scoring with nine points, according to reports, in a team captained by Nidhi Sharma.

The championship, which began on October 23, drew teams from across the Commonwealth, including England, Malaysia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The 34-point margin made it one of the most one-sided finals India could have hoped for. The home side had already built a 20-point cushion by the interval and extended it further in the second half, with points shared across several raiders rather than relying on a single star.

Both Indian teams entered the tournament as favourites, and neither final was close. The women's 20-point winning margin against Uganda matched the scale of the men's victory later in the evening.

Why it matters

The new event gives kabaddi a wider international stage beyond Asia, and the participation of African and European sides points to the sport's slow spread. For India, the clean sweep reinforces its status as the dominant force in the game ahead of a busy international calendar.