Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship: Kenya, Sri Lanka Sweep Opening-Day Matches as Scotland & Uganda Shine

Ahmedabad, October 23: Kenya and Sri Lanka made impressive starts to the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship, winning both their men’s and women’s matches on the opening day at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex on Friday. Uganda and Scotland also registered commanding victories as six one-sided encounters marked the start of the competition.

Kenya’s Lavenda Odhiambo and Scotland’s Brar were the standout performers of the day, scoring 25 points apiece in their respective matches.

In the men’s competition, Kenya defeated Singapore 48-28, with captain James Kamweti leading the charge with 19 raid points. Samuel Wafula contributed eight points, including four tackle points, while Stephen Adongo added seven. Kenya dominated the raiding department with 32 points to Singapore’s 20 and inflicted four All-Outs without conceding one. Singapore’s Muhammad Aidil Mutalib led his side with nine raid points.

Sri Lanka also enjoyed a comfortable outing, beating Tanzania 48-21. Milinda Chathuranga and Viduranga scored 11 and 10 points respectively to spearhead the victory. Sri Lanka collected 25 raid points, inflicted six All-Outs and added five tackle points through Santhushta. Tanzania’s Hafidhi Ali, captain Masudi Omary and Ibrahim Mashaka managed four tackle points each, while Juma Sultania scored seven raid points. However, 17 unsuccessful raids proved costly for Tanzania.

Scotland produced one of the day’s most dominant performances, defeating Australia 59-30. Brar was unstoppable, scoring 25 points, including 23 raid points from 23 raids without a single unsuccessful attempt. Captain Ryan Mcgallagly added 12 points as Scotland registered 40 raid points and won the All-Out battle 8-2. Australia’s Jasmeet Grewal scored eight raid points.

In the women’s competition, Uganda began with a resounding 61-12 victory over Singapore. They scored 33 raid points, added 16 tackle points and inflicted 10 All-Outs without conceding one. Nakayongo Shirat, Ademun Lucy and captain Nalubega Olivia scored eight points each, while Nayiga Mawanda contributed seven.

Kenya’s women faced a tougher challenge but overcame Bangladesh 34-25. Odhiambo delivered a remarkable performance, scoring 25 points from 23 raids and accounting for nearly all of Kenya’s raid points. Bangladesh’s Sraboni Mollick and Anzuara Ratry scored seven points each, but Kenya’s advantage in All-Outs proved decisive.

Sri Lanka completed the day’s action with a commanding 53-10 win over Scotland. They recorded 22 raid points, 20 tackle points and 10 All-Outs without conceding one. Captain Hansamali led the defensive effort with six tackle points, while Madushani contributed five points.

With victories across both categories, Kenya and Sri Lanka emerged among the early teams to watch as the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship got underway in Ahmedabad.