The 72nd Women’s Senior National Kabaddi Championship commenced at Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad. The event, spanning four days from January 27 to January 30, witnessed an array of significant victories on its opening day. Notably, the championship showcases members of India’s Women’s Kabaddi World Cup-winning team competing for their states and institutional teams.
Eight matches unfolded on the first day across Pools A to H, with teams like Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Chhattisgarh emerging victorious in their initial fixtures. Delhi dominated Jammu & Kashmir with a 61–14 win in Pool A, while Himachal Pradesh triumphed over Assam 49–24 in Pool B. Rajasthan secured a 44–21 victory against hosts Telangana in Pool C, and Haryana displayed strength by defeating Jharkhand 62–16 in Pool D.
Tamil Nadu outperformed Uttarakhand 57–26 in Pool F, Chandigarh triumphed over West Bengal 72–19 in Pool G, and Chhattisgarh narrowly defeated Kerala 43–36 in Pool E. Karnataka concluded the day with a remarkable 100–8 win over Manipur in Pool H, marking the largest margin of victory so far in the championship.
Individual players shone brightly on the opening day, with Karnataka’s Hamshitha GM and Harshitha M leading their team with 15 and 14 raid points, respectively. Tamil Nadu’s Karthika R emerged as the top scorer of the day with 18 raid points, while Chhattisgarh’s Chhaya contributed 16 raid points to her team’s success. Noteworthy performances included Pushpa from Himachal Pradesh and Raj Rani from Haryana, both achieving Super 10s with 13 and 11 raid points, respectively, showcasing the teams’ potent attacking capabilities.
The championship features 378 players from 28 teams comprising state associations and institutional units. With several members of the victorious Indian women’s kabaddi team from the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup in November 2025 participating, the tournament is expected to play a crucial role in determining team compositions for the upcoming Asian Games in Japan later this year.
