Kabaddi is a popular team contact sport originating from India. The game involves two teams, with seven players on each side. The objective is for a single player or “raider” to run into the opposing team’s half of the court, tag an opponent, and return to their own half without being tackled. Kabaddi rose to popularity in the 20th century and quickly became one of India’s national sports.
With kabaddi’s origins and popularity centered in India, the country has historically dominated in international kabaddi competitions. The Kabaddi World Cup is the highest level of international kabaddi and has been contested since 2004. India has won every men’s Kabaddi World Cup held so far. However, while India has clearly reigned supreme in men’s kabaddi, the country has not won every single world title across all kabaddi competitions.
India’s Dominance in Men’s Kabaddi
The Kabaddi World Cup (also known as the Circle Style World Cup) has been held for men every year since 2004 except for 2014 and 2017. India has emerged victorious in all seven editions of the men’s tournament held so far:
- 2004 – India defeated Iran in the final
- 2007 – India defeated Iran in the final
- 2010 – India defeated Iran in the final
- 2011 – India defeated Pakistan in the final
- 2012 – India defeated Pakistan in the final
- 2016 – India defeated Iran in the final
- 2022 – India defeated Iran in the final
The big kabaddi rivals for India have been Iran and Pakistan. However, India has consistently come out on top against these opponents in the men’s Kabaddi World Cup title clashes.
Women’s Kabaddi World Cup
While Indian men have swept every Kabaddi World Cup title so far, the story is different for the women’s edition of the tournament. The Women’s Kabaddi World Cup has been contested irregularly since 2010. India has won only two out of the four women’s world title clashes:
- 2010 – India defeated Iran in the final
- 2012 – India lost to Iran in the final
- 2013 – India defeated Nepal in the final
- 2014 – India lost to New Zealand in the final
Iran broke India’s monopoly over the world title when they won the 2012 Women’s Kabaddi World Cup. Then two years later, minnows New Zealand staged a big upset by stunning India in the 2014 final. While India still leads the gold medal tally in Women’s Kabaddi World Cups, they have not enjoyed the same level of dominance as the men.
Asian Games Kabaddi
Kabaddi has been part of the Asian Games since 1990. At the Asian Games, India’s men’s team has been dethroned as champions on a couple of occasions:
- 1990 – India won gold
- 1994 – India won gold
- 1998 – Iran won gold
- 2002 – Iran won gold
- 2006 – India won gold
- 2010 – Iran won gold
- 2014 – India won gold
- 2018 – Iran won gold
Iran won three straight Asian Games men’s kabaddi titles from 1998 to 2010, defeating India each time in the gold medal clash. However, India has otherwise maintained a strong grip over the top prize at the quadrennial continental event.
In the women’s kabaddi competition at the Asian Games, India’s record has been more mixed:
- 2010 – India won gold
- 2014 – India won gold
- 2018 – Iran won gold
Iran won the last Asian Games in 2018 to prevent a women’s kabaddi three-peat for India.
South Asian Games
India has asserted its supremacy in kabaddi at the South Asian Games, winning every gold medal in the sport since it was first included in the regional multi-sport competition in 2004. Some notable results:
- 2004 – India won men’s and women’s gold
- 2006 – India won men’s and women’s gold
- 2010 – India won men’s and women’s gold
- 2016 – India won men’s and women’s gold
India has swept every kabaddi title available at the South Asian Games. The country has fielded both men’s and women’s teams since kabaddi was added to the tournament program.
Pro Kabaddi League
The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is India’s professional kabaddi league established in 2014. It features franchised teams from different Indian cities. While it is a domestic club competition, the PKL has attracted international players, especially from Iran.
U Mumba won the inaugural season of PKL in 2014. Since then, no single franchise has managed to win the title twice. Different team champions have emerged every season:
- 2014 – U Mumba
- 2015 – U Mumba
- 2016 – Patna Pirates
- 2017 – Patna Pirates
- 2018 – Bengaluru Bulls
- 2019 – Bengal Warriors
- 2021 – Dabang Delhi
- 2022 – Dabang Delhi
The variety of PKL winners demonstrates the high level of competition and talent depth across teams in the domestic Indian league.
International Championships
Apart from the World Cups, Asian Games and South Asian Games, there are also standalone International Kabaddi Championships (both circle and beach style) contested between national teams. India has asserted its supremacy at these championships but has not won every single title.
Some instances where India did not finish first include:
- 2014 Circle Style Men – Iran 1st, India 2nd
- 2015 Circle Style Women – New Zealand 1st, India 3rd
- 2018 Beach Style Men – Iran 1st, India 2nd
So while India has been the most successful team overall, they have not managed a clean sweep of every international kabaddi competition.
Conclusion
To summarize, India has clearly been the most dominant force in kabaddi history. However, they have not won every single World Cup or international tournament, contrary to popular belief. The Indian men’s team has won all Kabaddi World Cups so far but the women have lost a couple of world finals. Rival countries like Iran, Pakistan and New Zealand have also staked their claim in kabaddi with title wins.
Domestically, different franchises have shared the honors in the Pro Kabaddi League. Internationally, India has been dethroned at the Asian Games and World Championships on occasion. While Indian players and coaches have undoubtedly elevated the sport and shaped strategies over the years, the game’s global appeal and competitiveness has increased as well. Other nations have put up stiff challenges and scored historic breakthrough wins. India remains the team to beat but they can no longer take global dominance for granted as kabaddi continues to evolve.
