The Indian squad for the upcoming 2016 Kabaddi World Cup is going to feature 14 of the country’s best players and the names will be announced later this month. Around 25-30 of the best players in the country are currently participating in camp, which is being held in Gujarat, and the best of the lot are going to represent India at the World Cup in October. Janardan Gehlot, President of the International Kabaddi Federation, spoke to Sportskeeda about the tournament, players and preparations.
Stars from the Pro Kabaddi League are sweating it out in a camp and given the amount of talent available at the perusal of selectors, choosing the best players is going to be really tough. India is a powerhouse of talent in kabaddi and has some of the best players in the world, such as Anup Kumar, Rakesh Kumar, Rahul Chaudhari, Pardeep Narwal, Manjeet Chhillar, Rohit Kumar, Deepak Niwas Hooda and Rishank Devadiga among others.
Talking about the upcoming tournament and India’s team, Mr. Gehlot said, “The camp has started and preparations are underway for the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup, we are really excited to be hosting the competition and hope to make it a huge success. From the Indian team’s perspective, we will ensure that the best players are selected to represent the country on the biggest level.”
The 2016 Kabaddi World Cup, set to begin Ahmedabad in October, will see countries like USA, Canada, Australia and South Korea participate for the biggest title in the sport. Foreign kabaddi players plying their trade in India is nothing new as internationals from Iran and South Korea are already members of top notch Pro Kabaddi teams. In fact, the Iranian trio of Abolfazel Maghsoudlou, Hadi Oshtorak and Fazel Atrachali were crucial in leading Patna Pirates to the Pro Kabaddi 4 title.
“We are excited at the prospect of players from other countries, especially like USA, Canada, South Korea and Iran, coming to India and show their kabaddi skills. Preparations are going on in full flow and we expect the tournament to be a huge success,” Mr. Gehlot added. Participating countries are likely to reach India around a 4-6 days before the beginning of the tournament.
Kabaddi World Cup comes at the right time after the incredible success of Pro Kabaddi League throughout the country and the organisers are hoping for an encore of the same come October.
