PKL and JioStar fete India’s kabaddi world champions

MUMBAI: Mumbai’s sporting establishment rolled out the red carpet on Friday for India’s women’s kabaddi team, fresh from demolishing Chinese Taipei 35–28 in the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup final in Dhaka on November 24. The unbeaten champions didn’t just defend their title, they announced their arrival as an unstoppable force.

The victory tour through Bangladesh was clinical. India swept their group matches before dispatching Iran 33–21 in the semi-final, setting up a showdown with Chinese Taipei, who had themselves marched through undefeated before beating hosts Bangladesh 25–18.

At the felicitation ceremony hosted by the Pro Kabaddi League and JioStar, Ishan Chatterjee, chief executive officer of sports at JioStar, framed the triumph within India’s breakthrough year for women’s sport. “Their success isn’t just about winning a trophy; it builds a talent pipeline for young girls across the country who now look at this team and say, ‘If they can do it, I can do it too,'” he said.

Anupam Goswami, PKL league chairman and business head of Mashal Sports, laid out the long game. “The federation’s commitment—especially in bringing back the Women’s World Cup after 12 years—shows that the sport is moving firmly in the right direction,” he noted, whilst tempering expectations around a standalone women’s league. “When we think about a Women’s Kabaddi League, rushing it isn’t the answer. We need to build it the right way—with players who truly want to be part of it, with a model that makes commercial sense, and with a structure that can support women’s kabaddi for the long run.”

Head coach V Tejeswini Bai, savouring her third medal as part of a coaching setup, emphasised the months of disciplined preparation behind the glory. Skipper Ritu Negi, sidelined by injury during the final, spoke of the team’s collective strength: “Our team is bigger than any one player. What matters is that our players stepped up and executed exactly what was needed.”

Vibhor Vineet Jain, president of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India, pointed to kabaddi’s expanding global footprint. “Kabaddi is no longer limited to the subcontinent. Nations like Chinese Taipei and Iran have transformed the competitive landscape,” he observed.

With institutional backing strengthening and a second World Cup trophy gleaming, India’s women have done more than win—they’ve issued a challenge to the world, and an invitation to the next generation. The game is changing. And they’re leading the charge.