Ahmedabad, October 31, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Captain Nidhi Sharma led from the front as World Champions India defeated Uganda 35-15 in the final to become the first women’s champions of the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship in Ahmedabad on Saturday. The victory capped an unbeaten campaign for the Indian team.
Sakshi was India’s top scorer with nine raid points from 10 raids, including two bonus points. She scored seven points in the first half, succeeding in all six of her raids.
Anu contributed six raid points, while captain Nidhi Sharma added five, including three bonus points. Ritu and Suman anchored the defence with four tackle points each. India collected 20 raid points and 10 tackle points and inflicted two All-Outs.
Nakayongo Shirat led Uganda’s attack, making 24 of the team’s 35 raids and scoring 11 of its 15 points, including three bonus points. Uganda’s other raiders managed just three points between them, while semi-final standout Nalwoga Nahia was restricted to one point. Zalwango Jemima’s tackle in the second half was Uganda’s only successful attempt to stop an Indian raider throughout the match.
India led 7-3 with 10 minutes remaining in the first half before extending their advantage with a 15-4 scoring run, which included an All-Out. They went into the break with a 22-7 lead.
India did not lose a single raid in the first half, while Uganda failed in all nine of its tackle attempts. India’s defenders, meanwhile, registered six successful tackles.
Uganda edged India 7-6 on raid points after the break, but a second Indian All-Out with less than 10 minutes remaining put the result beyond doubt. India’s defenders tackled Uganda’s raiders 10 times during the match and converted three of their four do-or-die raids.
Sakshi, who finished the championship with 52 points from six matches and was India’s leading performer in the final, said she was delighted to contribute nine raid points to the team’s victory.
She said the team was euphoric after winning the gold medal and described the tournament as important for the growth of kabaddi, adding that international competitions would benefit young players. She also noted improvement in other teams compared with last year and thanked the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) for organising the championship.
India completed a perfect six-win campaign to claim the women’s title. They began with a 73-13 victory over Malaysia, followed by wins against Singapore (32-16), Uganda (41-18) and Nigeria (38-10) to finish on top of Group A.
In the semi-final, India defeated Sri Lanka 39-14 before sealing the inaugural title with their 35-15 win over Uganda in the final.
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