The Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship is the stage kabaddi needed

Kabaddi has a strange problem for a sport India loves: India is too good at it. The men's team has won Asian Games gold almost every time since 1990, including again in 2026. A sport where the result often feels decided before the toss struggles to win new fans abroad.

That is why the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship in Ahmedabad matters. From 23 to 31 October, 23 teams from 13 nations, from England, Scotland and Canada to Kenya, Uganda, Malaysia and Australia, are playing 62 matches at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex.

More nations, more reasons to watch

A sport grows when new countries have something to play for. Teams that would rarely meet India in a final now get nine days of competitive matches, a schedule, a broadcast and a chance to measure themselves. That experience is how gaps close over time.

It also matters that the women's competition sits alongside the men's, with 23 women's matches on the schedule and Nidhi Sharma leading India's side. Equal billing tells young players, in India and elsewhere, that the sport has a place for them.

India's job

India, led by Surjeet Singh in the men's event, will start as favourites. The responsibility that comes with that is to make the visiting teams' trip worthwhile: competitive matches, good hosting and a tournament that other countries want to come back to.

With matches streaming on JioHotstar and airing on Star Sports, more people can watch than ever. If this championship becomes a regular fixture, it could do more for kabaddi's future than any single gold medal.

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