Bangladesh go out of Commonwealth Kabaddi, beaten 56-27 by India in semi-final

Bangladesh went out of the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship on Friday, crushed 56-27 by hosts India in the semi-final at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad.

A 20-point deficit at the break proved far too steep for Nasir, Mizanur and their team-mates.

India dominated on their home mat, building a 28-8 half-time lead. Bangladesh improved after the restart, scoring 19 points to India’s 28, but the gap was never close to being bridged, and the hosts booked their place in the final.

The result stung more because of recent history. At the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, India beat Bangladesh 48-25 in the group stage on the way to gold. This time the margin stretched from 23 points to 29, a reminder of the gap Bangladesh must close.

Bangladesh reached the last four as Group B runners-up with eight points, after an opening 67-28 win over Canada and a 32-31 loss to Kenya in a tight contest. That one-point defeat was their only slip in the group stage.

Three big wins followed: Singapore 60-28, Australia 69-31 and Scotland 70-20. The win over Australia boosted their semi-final chances, and the Scotland result confirmed qualification. The semi-final defeat left them with four wins and two defeats from six matches overall.

India reached the semi-final with a perfect group record and stayed unbeaten by beating Bangladesh. The hosts now move into the final with home support behind them, while Bangladesh head back with lessons from a tournament that began so promisingly.