National kabaddi team of India
India Association Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India Confederation Asian Kabaddi Federation Head Coach Bhaskaran Edachery Captain Pawan Sehrawat 3 (first in 2004 ) 9 (first in 1990 ) 9 (first in 1980 )
The India men's national kabaddi team represents India in international men's kabaddi competitions. The team is by far the most successful national kabaddi side of any country, winning gold medals at the Asian Games in 1990 (the first year the sport was contested), 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2022, as well as winning all four Kabaddi World Cup events to date. Pawan Sehrawat is the current captain of the team since 2022.[ 1]
Kabaddi was contested at the Asian Games as a competitive (non-exhibition) sport for the first time in 1990. India beat Bangladesh in the gold medal match for both the 1990 Asian Games and 1994 Asian Games . India lost to Pakistan in the 1993 South Asian Games gold medal match.[citation needed In the 1998 Asian Games held in Bangkok , the team beat arch rivals Pakistan for the gold medal.[ 2] [ 3]
India beat Bangladesh in the gold medal match of the 2002 Asian Games , held in Busan .[ 4]
India won the inaugural Kabaddi World Cup in 2004, beating Iran by a 55–27 margin. They repeated the feat three years later, beating the Iranians 29–19.[ 5]
At the 2006 Asian Games , India beat Pakistan 35–23 to win their fifth gold medal at the tournament.[ 6]
In the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games , India continued to dominate, winning gold on both occasions.[ 7] [ 8]
When the Kabaddi World Cup resumed again in 2016 after a nine-year hiatus, India beat Iran for the third final in a row by 38–29.[ 9]
In 2017, India won the Asian Kabaddi Championship led by raider Ajay Thakur with raider Pardeep Narwal bagging a super 10 beating Pakistan in the final by 36–22.[ 10]
India won the 2018 Dubai Kabaddi Masters tournament, beating Iran 44–26 in the final.[ 11] [ 12]
At the 2018 Asian Games , India lost to South Korea 23–24 in the group stages – this was the Indian team's first ever loss in their history at the Asian Games. Despite the loss, India qualified for the semi-finals, but lost 27–18 to Iran , who went on to win the gold.[ 13] [ 14]
India won the gold at the 2019 South Asian Games led by Deepak Niwas Hooda , beating Sri Lanka in the final by 51–18 with raiders Pawan Sehrawat , Naveen Kumar , Pardeep Narwal .[ 15] [ 16]
The Indian team have not played in any tournaments for a long time since December 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
In 2023, India won the Asian Kabaddi Championship by defeating Iran in the final by 42–32.[ 17]
Results and fixtures [ edit ] Asian Games
Year
Rank
Pld
W
D
L
2004 Champions 5
5
0
0
2007 Champions 6
6
0
0
2016 Champions 7
6
0
1
2025 TBC
Total
3/3
18
17
0
1
Year
Rank
M
W
D
L
PF
PA
PD
1990 Champions 5
5
0
0
234
84
+150
1994 Champions 4
4
0
0
227
78
+149
1998 Champions 6
6
0
0
295
119
+176
2002 Champions 5
5
0
0
224
84
+140
2006 Champions 5
5
0
0
188
106
+82
2010 Champions 4
4
0
0
166
80
+86
2014 Champions 5
5
0
0
182
103
+79
2018 Third place 5
3
0
2
184
130
+54
2022 Champions 6
6
0
0
318
144
+174
Total
9/9
45
43
0
2
2018
928
+1090
Asian Kabaddi Championship [ edit ]
South Asian Games
Year
Host city
Position
1985 Dhaka , Bangladesh
1987 Kolkata , India
1989 Islamabad , Pakistan
1993 Dhaka , Bangladesh
1995 Madras , India
1999 Kathmandu , Nepal
2004 Islamabad , Pakistan
2006 Colombo , Sri Lanka
2010 Dhaka , Bangladesh
2016 Guwahati & Shillong , India
2019 Kathmandu , Pokhara & Janakpur , Nepal
Dubai Kabaddi Masters [ edit ]
Year
Rank
Pld
W
D
L
2018 Champions 6
6
0
0
Total
1/1
6
6
0
0
World Beach Kabaddi Championship
Year
Host country
Position
2024
DNP
Year
Rank
Pld
W
D
L
2008 Champions 6
5
1
0
2010 Champions 6
6
0
0
2012 Third place 3
1
0
2
2014 Third place 4
2
0
2
2016 Runners-up 4
2
1
1
Total
5/5
23
16
2
5
South Asian Beach Games [ edit ]
Year
Rank
Pld
W
D
L
2011 Runners-up 4
2
0
2
Total
1/1
4
2
0
2
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games [ edit ]
Year
Rank
Pld
W
D
L
2007 Champions 7
7
0
0
2009 Champions 5
5
0
0
2013 Champions 6
6
0
0
Participated as
Total
3/3
18
18
0
0
Year
Rank
Pld
W
D
L
2010 Champions 6
6
0
0
2011 Champions 8
8
0
0
2012 Champions 5
5
0
0
2013 Champions 6
6
0
0
2014 Champions 6
6
0
0
2016 Champions 7
7
0
0
2020 Runners-up 6
5
0
1
Total
7/7
44
43
0
1
Year
Rank
Pld
W
D
L
Champions 5
5
0
0
2012 Runners-up 5
4
0
1
2016 Runners-up 5
4
0
1
Total
3/3
15
13
0
2
South Asian Games :Gold Medal (10): 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2016, 2019
Silver Medal (1): 1993
List of Indian Kabbadi captains
National teams
International tournaments
World Asia Single-nation hosted
Multi-sport events
Domestic tournaments
(2004, 2007, 2016)
(1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2022)
2004
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2018
Sri Lanka
Malaysia
Iran
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Islamabad, Pakistan
2nd
Kathmandu, Nepal
2018
2010
2016
2007
Independent Olympic Athletes (IOA)
