Senior National Kabaddi Championships: History and Teams

The 67th Senior National Kabaddi Championships are just days away and we couldn't be more excited to see out Kabaddi stars in action. The men's and women's teams will be in action in Jaipur from the 2nd to 6th of March 2020 at the Senior National Kabaddi Championships. The tournament will see about 54 teams in men's and women's categories participating and fighting for the national title. 

Pawan Sehrawat, Dharmaraj Cheralathan, Parvesh Bhainswal, Rishank Devadiga, Pardeep Narwal, and Naveen Kumar, are some of the big names who will be seen on the mat playing for their respective teams in Jaipur. The tournament will also see Ajay Thakur make a comeback after a hiatus due to an injury. He has been out of action since the Pro Kabaddi 2019 ended and also missed the South Asian Games 2019. Thakur will represent the Himachal Pradesh Kabaddi Association.

Who are the teams participating in the men's category?

1. Andhra Kabaddi Association

2. All Assam Kabaddi Association

3. Bihar Kabaddi Association

4. Chandigarh Kabaddi Association

5. Chattisgarh Kabaddi Association

6. Delhi State Kabaddi Association

7. Goa Kabaddi Association

8. Gujarat State Kabaddi Association

9. Amateur Kabaddi Association Haryana

10. Kabaddi Association of Himachal Pradesh

11. Jammu & Kashmir Amateur Kabaddi Association

12. Kabaddi Association of Jharkhand

13. Karnataka Rajya Amateur Kabaddi Association

14. Kerala Kabaddi Association

15. M.P Amateur Kabaddi Association

16. Maharashtra State Kabaddi Association

17. Manipur State Kabaddi Association

18. Odisha Kabaddi Association

19. Union Territory of Pondicherry Kabaddi Association

20. Punjab Kabaddi Association

21. Rajasthan Kabaddi Association

22. Tamil Nadu Amateur Kabaddi Association

23. Telangana Kabaddi Association

24. Tripura Amateur Kabaddi Association

25. U.P. Kabaddi Association

26. Uttarakhand Kabaddi Association

27. Amateur Kabaddi Association of Vidarbha

28. Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India West Bengal State Unit

29. BSNL Sports and Cultural Board

30. Railway Sports Promotion Board

31. Services Sports Control Board

Led by Dharmaraj Cheralathan, the Railway Sports Promotion Board had emerged as the champions at the 66th Senior National Kabaddi Championships. They had defeated Services Sports Control Board 41-17 in a one-sided final in Roha last year. With players like Cheralathan, Parvesh, Pawan, Ravinder Pahal, Rohit Gulia, Sandeep Dhull, Shrikant Jadhav, and Vikas Kandola the Railways team has been one of the top teams of the tournament. They were the only team to have remained unbeaten in the previous edition of the tournament. 

In the year 2018, the Rishank Devadiga led Maharashtra team lifted the men's title after 11 years. It was a sublime performance by Rishank who helped the team come from behind and defeat Services 34-29 in the finals to win the 65th Senior National Kabaddi Championship.

Teams to look forward at the Senior Nationals Kabaddi Championships 2020

The Railways Sports Promotion Board will be one of the toughest teams to beat at Jaipur. The defending champions will be looking to win consecutive trophies as they enter the mat this year.

The Haryana Kabaddi Association, Himachal Pradesh Kabaddi Association, Services Sports, and Maharashtra State Kabaddi teams would be the teams to keep an eye on in the upcoming edition of the tournament. The Maharashtra team does not have senior players like Rishank Devadiga, Vikas Kale or Girish Maruti Ernak and will be represented by a relatively younger team. 

In the women's category, the Indian Railways has been dominating the other teams for a long time now. They went on to win back-to-back titles from the 60th Senior Nationals in 2013 to the 64th Senior Nationals in 2017. At the 65th Senior Nationals in Hyderabad, Himachal Pradesh dethroned the Railways team to clinch the title.

The Indian Railways women's team made a comeback at the 66th Senior Nationals in Patna to clinch the title and remain unbeaten in the tournament. They had defeated yet other heavyweights, Haryana, in the finals. The Railways team has big names like Ritu Negi, Pooja Rani, Sonali Shingate, Payel Chaudhary, Pinki Roy, and Rekha Ravindra Sawant who have made a mark with their stellar performances in national as well as international tournaments. 

At the 67th Senior National Kabaddi Tournament, the following teams from the women's division are scheduled to participate:

1. Andhra Kabaddi Association

2. All Assam Kabaddi Association

3. Bihar Kabaddi Association

4. Chandigarh Kabaddi Association

5. Chattisgarh Kabaddi Association

6. Delhi State Kabaddi Association

7. Amateur Kabaddi Association Haryana

8. Kabaddi Association of Himachal Pradesh

9. Jammu & Kashmir Amateur Kabaddi Association

10. Kabaddi Association of Jharkhand

11. Kerala Kabaddi Association

12. M.P Amateur Kabaddi Association

13. Maharashtra State Kabaddi Association

14. Manipur State Kabaddi Association

15. Odisha Kabaddi Association

16. Union Territory of Pondicherry Kabaddi Association

17. Punjab Kabaddi Association

18. Rajasthan Kabaddi Association

19. U.P. Kabaddi Association

20. Uttarakhand Kabaddi Association

21. Amateur Kabaddi Association of Vidarbha

22. Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India West Bengal State Unit

23. Indian Railways

This year, the Indian Railways women's team could face strong competition from Haryana as well as Himachal Pradesh. With players like Priyanka Negi, Kavita, and Pushpa in the team, the Himachal team looks quite tough on paper. It will be interesting to see if they will manage to get their hands back on the trophy in Jaipur.