Uganda knocked out unbeaten Kenya by two points, and India’s women meet them in the Commonwealth kabaddi final
India beat Sri Lanka 39-14 in Ahmedabad to stay perfect, and Saturday’s final is a rematch of a group game they won 41-18.
Oct 30, 2026
India’s women are one win from the first Commonwealth kabaddi title. They beat Sri Lanka 39-14 in the second semi-final at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad on Friday, 30 October, and the side waiting for them in the final is Uganda, not unbeaten Kenya.
Kenya came into the semi-finals with four wins from four, most of them built on Lavenda Odhiambo’s raiding. She took 25 points off Bangladesh on the opening day. Uganda beat Kenya 23-21.
Uganda hold on by two
The first women’s semi-final was the close one. Uganda led 12-9 at half-time and pulled six clear at 18-12 with seven minutes left. Kenya spent the last few minutes chipping at that lead and outscored them 9-5 over the final seven minutes.
Uganda held on to win 23-21. Kenya had beaten Sri Lanka by three in the group stage. They went out by two.
Sakshi and Nidhi do the damage
India’s semi-final was over well before the end. Captain Nidhi Sharma scored 10 points from 12 raids, and India inflicted three all-outs.
Sakshi was the best player on the mat, with 11 points, eight in the raid and three in the tackle. Sri Lanka’s best moment was a super tackle from Priyavarna, and they managed only eight successful raids all night.
That is five wins from five for India’s women in Ahmedabad. They beat Malaysia 73-13 in the opening game and have not been seriously tested since.
The final, and why Uganda are worth a second look
India already played Uganda once, on 25 October, and won 41-18. On that evidence Saturday’s final should not be close. I am not sure the evidence counts for much now. Uganda finished second in India’s group, then knocked out the only other unbeaten side in the women’s draw. They did it by holding on in a two-point game, which is not something a team that is simply making up the numbers does.
The women’s final starts at 7:30pm IST on Saturday, 31 October. The men’s final follows at 9pm.