India is by far the most successful national side in the history of Kabaddi. They have won gold medals and trophies in all the major tournaments they have contested in.
The birthplace of the sport, India have claimed all three editions of the Kabaddi World Cup staged so far and also clinched the Asian Games gold medal a record eight times.
In this article, let us take a look at the major trophies won by the Indian national Kabaddi team over the years.
Kabaddi World Cup (2004, 2007, 2016)
India won the first-ever men’s Kabaddi World cup that was staged in 2004 in Mumbai. India beat Iran 55-27 to lift the trophy, the first of the three titles for them. India also went on to win the next two editions, beating Iran again in the final on both occasions. The latest edition of the Kabaddi World Cup took place in 2016 in Ahmedabad.
The fourth edition of the Kabaddi World Cup will be held in the West Midlands, England, during 17–23 March 2025.
Asian Games (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2023)
Kabaddi was introduced to the Asian Games in 1990. India have bagged the gold medal in Kabaddi in all the editions of the continental Games, except for the 2018 edition in Jakarta. India finished third after losing to arch-rivals Iran in the semi-finals.
The Jakarta edition of the Asian Games was also the first time India lost a match in Kabaddi. They lost two games-to South Korea in the group stages and Iran in the semi-finals- in that edition.
The Indian side reclaimed the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 to add their eighth continental games gold medal.
Asian Kabaddi Championship (1980, 1985, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2023)
The first edition of the Asian Kabaddi Championships was held in 1980 in Kolkata, India. The Indian team defeated Bangladesh in the inaugural edition to clinch the title. They went on to win the Championships a record 10 times with the last edition held in Iran. India defeated Pakistan in the finals of the 2017 edition.
Southeast Asian Games (1985, 1987, 1989, 1995, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2016, 2019)
Kabaddi made its debut at the SouthEast Asian Games in 1985 and since then 11 editions have been held successfully. India has emerged victorious in 10 editions with Pakistan winning the title in 1993 defeating India in the final.
India and Pakistan have contested in the finals seven times and the former has come out victorious on six occasions. In the last edition in 2019, India beat Sri Lanka in the final.
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Dubai Kabaddi Masters (2018)
India clinched the inaugural Dubai Kabaddi Masters that was held in 2018. The 2018 Dubai Kabaddi Masters was a six-nation Kabaddi Masters series. It was also the first international kabaddi event to take place in the UAE (United Arab Emirates).
Six teams including India, Pakistan, Kenya, South Korea, Iran, and Argentina participated in the competition. Teams were split into two groups of three teams each, with the top two teams proceeding to the knockout stage. India beat Iran 44-26 to win the title.
