The 2nd Junior World Kabaddi Championship will take place in Urmia, Iran from February 26 to March 5. A total of 12 teams have been confirmed to participate in the event. Under 20 is the age group for the Junior Championship. It will see teams from all over the globe vying for the title. The tournament is organised and kept in Iran for the second successive time with the host winning the inaugural version.
They will play their group stage matches in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals. India are placed in Group C along with Bangladesh and Thailand.
| Group A | Iran, Chinese Taipei, Uganda |
| Group B | Kenya, Iraq, Palestine |
| Group C | Bangladesh, India, Thailand |
| Group D | Pakistan, Nepal, Georgia |
Table of Contents
First Edition of the Junior Kabaddi World Championship
The first edition of the Junior Kabaddi World Championship is being held in Kish Island, Iran, from November 11-16, 2019. A total of 14 countries participated in this first-ever tournament in Iran’s efforts to promote the sport of Kabaddi. Only the men’s tournament was held as this was the first world championship for the junior category and there was no previous experience in hosting international events.
The Iranian team was the winner of the first Junior Kabaddi World Championship. They defeated Kenya in the final to win the trophy. The first tournament provided Iran with many talented players.
Mohammadreza Shadlu Chiyaneh, Amirhossein Bastami, Reza Mirbagheri, Haiderali Ekrami and other Pro kabaddi league stars from Iran are examples of them. Due to their performance in the Junior Kabaddi World Championship, they have the opportunity to play in the Pro Kabaddi League. They have good numbers in the PKL 9 auction and have performed well in the recent PKL.
India Squad
India after having missed out last time made its solid existence in this edition. They has been a major contender in this event and it is likely to win the tournament. The team was led by PKL 9 champion coaches Sanjeev Baliyan, Anup Kumar and Ravindra Shetty.
The Indian team is led by Ankush Rathee and includes seven kabaddi players who have played in the country’s Pro Kabaddi league. They include Narender Kandola (Tamil Thalaivas), Jai Bhagwan (U Mumba), Manjeet Sharma (Dabang Delhi KC) and Sagar Kumar (Patna Pirates). Parteek Dahiya of the Gujarat Giants and Vinay Redhu of the Telugu Titans are in the reserves.
| Players | Ankush Rathee (captain, left corner), Nardender Kandola (right raider), Jai Bhagwan (right raider), Manjeet Sharma (right raider), Sagar Kumar (all rounder), Ashish Malik (left corner), Sachin (right cover), Rohit Kumar (left cover), Manu Deshwal (left raider), Abhijit Malik (right raider), Vijyant Jaglan (right cover), Yogesh Dahiya (right corner) |
| Reserves | Parteek Dahiya (right raider), Vinay Redhu (left raider), Ashish (right corner) |
Final: India 41 vs 33 Iran
India defeated ruling champions Iran to secure the 2nd version Junior World Kabaddi Championship in Urmia, Iran. The suit began on an even note with both teams racking up a factor each in the opening raid. India made successful use of the review inside the opening 5 mins. Iran was granted three raid points by the referees but the 3rd umpire provided the result in favour of India. Star raider Narender Kandola started the game on a constant note together with vice-captain Manjeet Sharma.
Near five reviews were taken by two teams in the opening ten mins as well as there were numerous blockages in between each raid. The host caused the first all-out as well as took a lead of 4 points (15-11). India resisted highly and also completed the initial half with one factor deficit (18-19).
India scored 4 quick points and also inflicted a full-blown regaining back the lead (25-20). The ruling champs maintained fighting back and also never the lead go beyond 5 points. At 32-30, India was down to three players, Narender Kandola played maturely scoring critical points with bonus offer and tackle points. Iran minimized the bring about two points however couldn’t profit from the momentum shedding 2 points via a super tackle and handing India a five-point lead (36-31) with three mins remaining in the clock.
Indian captain Ankush Rathee took full care of the defence with the defenders not enjoying advanced as well as unsuccessful tackles. Ultimately, India beat Iran by a nine-point margin (41-33) to secure the second edition Junior World Kabaddi Championship. Pakistan as well as Nepal were the joint bronze medallist with the previous winning it for the second time in a row.
Semifinals: India 75 vs 29 Pakistan
Narender Kandola, the star raider, started the procedures on a bright note racking up an incredibly raid (three points). Narender racked up 2 touchpoints together with a reward to offer India an essential lead.
The defence dripped a few points in the beginning couple of minutes yet captain Ankush Rathee placed in an advance back hold to put up a strong program. Secondary raider and also vice-captain Manjeet contributed with valuable touchpoints to keep the lead undamaged in the initial half.
Pakistan shed a review in the preliminary part of the game and India used the possibility by bring upon the initial all-out strengthening the lead from (12-9 to 19-12). India finish the first half on a fantastic note taking a 14-point lead (28-14).
There was no looking back for the Indians in the 2nd half racking up 20 points in quick succession (54-15). Pakistan might score just one factor after the initial 5 mins of the second fifty percent. India ultimately beat Pakistan by a huge margin of 46 points (75-29) to advence the final. Ankush Rathee, Narender Kandola and Jai Bhagwan all played their part in the victory.
Quarterfinals: India 54 vs 36 Chinese Taipei
After playing 2 back-to-back group suits as well as covering the group, India once again defeated Asian compatriots Chinese Taipei 54-36. Iran on the other hand defeated Bangladesh conveniently by 39 points and proceeded to the second succeeding semifinals. India will next off encounter arch-rival Pakistan in the semifinal of the Junior World Kabaddi Championship 2023.
Group Stage: India 67 vs 34 Thailand/ India 74 vs 23 Bangladesh
India have made a stunning start in the 2nd Junior World Kabaddi Championship. India opened its campaign in the tournament with a one-sided 67-34 win against Thailand in their Group C game. Ankush Rathee, the left-corner defender is the captain of the Indian side and is helped by Manjeet Sharma (that presently bets Dabang Delhi KC in the PKL).
Srinivas Reddy the previous trainer of the Indian National group was on training obligation for the Bangladesh side. India then later on in the evening session went on to defeat Bangladesh in the second experience of the group phase by a huge margin of 51 points (74-23). They were on top of their group to secure a place in the quarter-finals.