Hyderabad, January 28
The 72nd Women's Senior National Kabaddi Championship 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.
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.
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.
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 ADelhi beat Jammu & Kashmir 61-14
Pool BHimachal Pradesh beat Assam 49-24
Pool CRajasthan beat Telangana 44-21
Pool DHaryana beat Jharkhand 62-16
Pool EChhattisgarh beat Kerala 43-36
Pool FTamil Nadu beat Uttarakhand 57-26
Pool GChandigarh beat West Bengal 72-19
Pool HKarnataka beat Manipur 100-8
DAY 2 FIXTURES (28 January 2026)Morning SessionPool AIndian Railways vs Jammu & Kashmir
Pool BUttar Pradesh vs Assam
Pool CPondicherry vs Telangana
Pool DGoa vs Jharkhand
Pool EMaharashtra vs Vidarbha
Pool FPunjab vs Bihar
Pool GGujarat vs Odisha
Pool HAndhra Pradesh vs Madhya Pradesh
Evening SessionPool AIndian Railways vs Delhi
Pool BHimachal Pradesh vs Uttar Pradesh
Pool CRajasthan vs Pondicherry
Pool DHaryana vs Goa
Pool EVidarbha vs KeralaMaharashtra vs Chhattisgarh
Pool FBihar vs UttarakhandTamil Nadu vs Punjab
Pool GOdisha vs West BengalChandigarh vs Gujarat
Pool HMadhya Pradesh vs ManipurKarnataka vs Andhra Pradesh.
- ANI
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