In the ongoing Women’s Kabaddi World Cup, Bangladesh’s team suffered their first defeat after two consecutive wins, losing 43-18 to the defending champions, India, at the Shaheed Sohrawardi Stadium in Mirpur. Despite the earlier success in the tournament, where Bangladesh won their first two games against Uganda (42-22) and Germany (57-27), the team found themselves struggling against India.
From the start of the match, Bangladesh was under pressure. Within just six minutes, India managed to perform an all-out on the hosts, taking a commanding lead of 12-5. Although Bangladesh tried to make a comeback at times, they couldn’t maintain the momentum, and soon found themselves all-out again. By the end of the first half, the score had reached 29-8, with India firmly in control.
After the break, the situation didn’t improve. India, with their aggressive play, managed to all-out Bangladesh once again, extending their lead to 42-15. While Bangladesh managed to score three more points towards the end, it was clear that the game was beyond their reach.
This defeat came as a setback for the Bangladesh team, who had entered the tournament with two back-to-back victories. The loss to India places them in a more challenging position as they now look ahead to their fourth match in Group A against Thailand on Saturday.
This is the second edition of the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup, and India remains the dominant force in the competition. In the last tournament in 2012, India won the title by defeating Iran, while Bangladesh was knocked out in the quarter-finals. This year’s tournament is taking place in Dhaka with 11 teams, and alongside India, Iran, Nepal, and Thailand (semi-finalists from the previous World Cup) are considered strong contenders.
Despite this loss, Bangladesh’s team remains hopeful and will aim to bounce back in their next game against Thailand, as they continue their journey in the tournament.