72nd Women's National Kabaddi Championship begins with decisive wins

The 72nd Women's Senior National Kabaddi Championship kicked off in Hyderabad with dominant opening day wins for Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, and Karnataka. World Cup stars are competing for their respective states in the four-day tournament.

The 72nd Women's Senior National Kabaddi Championship (WSNKC) began at the Balayogi Stadium on Tuesday with a series of decisive results on the opening day. The four-day competition started on January 27 and will run until January 30.

Coming close on the heels of India's Women's Kabaddi World Cup triumph, the championship sees several members of the world champion squad now facing off against each other as they represent their respective states and institutional teams, as per a release.

Dominant wins mark opening day

Eight matches were played on Day 1 across Pools A to H, with Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh registering victories in their respective opening fixtures. In Pool A, Delhi secured a 61-14 win against Jammu & Kashmir, while Pool B saw Himachal Pradesh begin their campaign with a 49-24 victory over Assam. Rajasthan registered a 44-21 win against hosts Telangana in Pool C, and Haryana followed with a strong showing to defeat Jharkhand 62-16 in Pool D. Pool F witnessed Tamil Nadu claiming a 57-26 victory over Uttarakhand, while Pool G saw Chandigarh record a 72-19 win against West Bengal. In Pool E, Chhattisgarh edged Kerala 43-36 in the closest contest of the day, before Karnataka closed out Day 1 with the biggest scoreline so far, defeating Manipur 100-8 in Pool H.

Star players shine on Day 1

Several players stood out with notable individual performances on the opening day. Karnataka's Hamshitha GM and Harshitha M led the scoring for their side with 15 and 14 raid points respectively. Tamil Nadu raider Karthika R was the top scorer of the day with 18 raid points, while Chhattisgarh's Chhaya contributed 16 raid points in her team's win. Himachal Pradesh's Pushpa (13 raid points) and Haryana's Raj Rani (11 raid points) were among the other players to record Super 10s on Day 1, highlighting the depth of attacking performances across teams.

High stakes for Asian Games selection

The championship features 378 players representing 28 teams, including state associations and institutional units. With several members of the Indian women's kabaddi team that won the Women's Kabaddi World Cup in November 2025 participating, the tournament is expected to play an important role in assessing combinations ahead of the Asian Games scheduled to be held in Japan later this year.

Action continues on Wednesday with Day 2 fixtures, as teams look to build on their opening-day performances.

DAY 1 RESULTS

Pool A Delhi beat Jammu & Kashmir 61-14

Pool B Himachal Pradesh beat Assam 49-24

Pool C Rajasthan beat Telangana 44-21

Pool D Haryana beat Jharkhand 62-16

Pool E Chhattisgarh beat Kerala 43-36

Pool F Tamil Nadu beat Uttarakhand 57-26

Pool G Chandigarh beat West Bengal 72-19

Pool H Karnataka beat Manipur 100-8

DAY 2 FIXTURES (28 January 2026)

Morning Session

Pool A Indian Railways vs Jammu & Kashmir

Pool B Uttar Pradesh vs Assam

Pool C Pondicherry vs Telangana

Pool D Goa vs Jharkhand

Pool E Maharashtra vs Vidarbha

Pool F Punjab vs Bihar

Pool G Gujarat vs Odisha

Pool H Andhra Pradesh vs Madhya Pradesh

Evening Session

Pool A Indian Railways vs Delhi

Pool B Himachal Pradesh vs Uttar Pradesh

Pool C Rajasthan vs Pondicherry

Pool D Haryana vs Goa

Pool E Vidarbha vs Kerala

Maharashtra vs Chhattisgarh

Pool F Bihar vs Uttarakhand

Tamil Nadu vs Punjab

Pool G Odisha vs West Bengal

Chandigarh vs Gujarat

Pool H Madhya Pradesh vs Manipur

Karnataka vs Andhra Pradesh.

(ANI)

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