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Asian Kabaddi Championships 2023 will start today (June 27) in Korea. It will be the 11th edition of the mega event featuring the top kabaddi teams of Asia. The last time this event took place was in 2017.
The Gorgan region of Iran hosted the tournament from November 22 to 26 in 2017. 10 nations participated in the men's and women's kabaddi tournaments. India won the gold medal in both events. Home team Iran won the bronze medal in both events, whereas Pakistan finished runners-up in men's kabaddi, and South Korea were the losing finalists in women's kabaddi.
Ajay Thakur captained India in that tournament and star all-rounder Deepak Niwas Hooda also featured in the team. However, the tournament was not broadcasted, which is why a majority of the kabaddi fans could not watch the matches live.
India remained undefeated in Asian Kabaddi Championships 2017
India got a place in Pool A of the first round. They recorded wins against Iraq, Pakistan, Japan, and Afghanistan to qualify for the semifinals. In the semis, they defeated Korea by 45-29. While fans expected a final between India and Iran, Pakistan beat Iran in the other semifinal to set up a clash against the neighbors in the final.
Ajay Thakur, Pardeep Narwal, and Maninder Singh formed India's raiding unit in that tournament. Rahul Chaudhari and Rohit Kumar were also present in the squad but they were benched for the last three matches.
India were in excellent form during the group-stage matches of the Asian Kabaddi Championships 2017. They beat Iraq by 61-21, followed by a mammoth 103-25 win over Afghanistan before an 82-16 win against Japan. Their final group stage against Pakistan was a lopsided one as well, with India emerging victorious by 44-18.
The final was also a one-sided encounter as India beat Pakistan 36-22 to become the champions. Indian fans will expect a similar performance from Sunil Kumar and Co in this year's Asian Kabaddi Championships.
