India national kabaddi team


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, 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.

History

1990s

Kabaddi was contested at the Asian Games as a competitive 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. In the 1998 Asian Games held in Bangkok, the team beat arch rivals Pakistan for the gold medal.

2000s

India beat Bangladesh in the gold medal match of the 2002 Asian Games, held in Busan.
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.
At the 2006 Asian Games, India beat Pakistan 35–23 to win their fifth gold medal at the tournament.

2010s

In the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games, India continued to dominate, winning gold on both occasions.
When the Kabaddi World Cup resumed again in [2016 Kabaddi World Cup (International Kabaddi Federation)|Kabaddi World Cup (International Kabaddi Federation)|2016] after a nine-year hiatus, India beat Iran for the third final in a row by 38–29.
In 2017, India won the Asian Kabaddi Championship led by raider Ajay Thakur with raider Pardeep Narwal bagging a super 10 beating Pakistan in the final by 36–22.
India won the 2018 Dubai Kabaddi Masters tournament, beating Iran 44–26 in the final.
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.
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 raiders Pawan Sehrawat, Naveen Kumar, Pardeep Narwal .

2020s

The Indian team did not play 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.

Tournament history

Standard kabaddi

Asian Games

YearRankMWDL

Dubai Kabaddi Masters

YearRankPldWDL

World kabaddi

World Cup

YearRankPldWDL

Beach kabaddi

Asian Beach Games

YearRankPldWDL

South Asian Beach Games

YearRankPldWDL

Circle kabaddi

Circle World Cup

YearRankPldWDL

Circle Asian Cup

YearRankPldWDL

International grounds

StadiumCityStateCapacityMatches hostedNotes
Indira Gandhi ArenaNew DelhiDelhi14,000Kabaddi World Cup, Pro Kabaddi League, international friendliesOne of the largest indoor arenas in India; key venue for international events
Patliputra Sports ComplexPatnaBihar3,500Pro Kabaddi League, national tournamentsRegular Pro Kabaddi League venue; hosted several international fixtures
Gachibowli Indoor StadiumHyderabadTelangana4,000Asian Games training, Pro Kabaddi LeagueHosted kabaddi training camps and league matches
Balewadi StadiumPuneMaharashtra11,000Kabaddi Masters, Pro Kabaddi LeagueMulti-purpose stadium with indoor facilities used for international kabaddi

Honours

World

Asia

South Asia

  • South Asian Games:
  • * Gold Medal : 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2016, 2019
  • * Silver Medal : 1993

Players

Notable players