India and Pakistan to clash in Dubai

dubai — India will take on archrivals Pakistan in their campaign opener of the six-nation Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018, starting June 22, an International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) statement announced on Monday.

The tournament, to be hosted at the Al Wasl Sports Club here, will be a 9-day action packed affair and will witness a stiff battle among all the six participants. Besides India and Pakistan, the four other sides in the tournament are South Korea, Iran, Argentina and Kenya.

Commenting on the tournament, IKF President Janardan Singh Gehlot said: “Kabaddi is fast becoming a renowned sport globally, and we at IKF look forward to exploring options for a comprehensive international Kabaddi calendar that is active annually, successfully pinning Kabaddi across the world map.”

“Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018 is our first step in that direction and will elevate the stature of our sport considerably. We are thankful to the Dubai Sports Council as well as Star India for their strong role in making this happen,” he added.

The six teams are divided into two groups of three. The teams in each group play two matches against every other team in their respective group, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the semi-finals.

“Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018 will give us the chance to go up against the best teams and we’ll go all out to gun for the trophy,” India coach Srinivas Reddy said.

“A tournament of this stature does well to bring nations together,” Muhammad Sarwar Secretary General Pakistan kabaddi Federation said.

“I already see a place for kabaddi in the African Games in the near future,” Laventer Oguta, Kenya Kabaddi Federation president who doubles up as the coach, said. — Agencies

We are thankful to the Dubai Sports Council as well as Star India for their strong role in making this happen Janardan Singh Gehlot