New Delhi: India made a splash by claiming both the men’s and women’s titles in the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup 2025 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here, defeating Nepal 54-36 and 78-40 respectively on Sunday.
Both the Indian men and women had defeated Nepal in the Asian Kho Kho Championships in Assam last year and were aware of their strengths and weaknesses.
The Indian women’s effortless running and synchronisation as a team was the highlight of the clinical win. India started strong in Turn 1 with captain Priyanka Ingle leading from the front as Nepal struggled against the relentless Indian attackers.
Quick touches and India’s command on strategy ensured Nepal were out seven times, propelling India to a commanding 35 points while denying the opponents a single Dream Run. Though Nepal briefly fought back in Turn 2 with an All Out led by Dipa BK, India still led 35-24 at half-time.
India extended their dominance in Turn 3 with a 73-24 scoreline. Player-of-the-Match Chaithra B’s Dream Run was the key point during Turn 4 as India sealed victory with a 38-point margin.
“History was made today. I am proud of the team’s campaign because of how confidently they carried themselves throughout the campaign,” coach Sumit Bhatia told HT. “We made many changes during the league stages and saved some strategies and skills for the knockout stage later. For instance, we did not use too many dives earlier to prevent injury.”
Following the victory, 2023 Arjuna awardee and former captain Nasreen Shaikh announced her retirement.
In the men’s final, India started strong in Turn 1 as Ramji Kashyap and Suyash Gargate set the tone with sky dives and touches to hand the team a 26-0 lead while denying Nepal a Dream Run.
Nepal fought back in Turn 2 but couldn’t challenge India’s control. Regular touches from Janak Chand and Suraj Pujara helped Nepal narrow the gap but India still went into halftime with a 26-18 lead.
Turn 3 saw India extend their control with captain Pratik Waikar delivering multiple sky dives, aided by Kashyap and Ganpule, which pushed the scoreline to 54-18.
In the final turn, Nepal attempted a comeback but India’s defenders, led by Waikar and Sachin Bhargo, stood firm. Mehul and Suman Barman also contributed to sealing the victory, as India finished 54-36 to lift the trophy.
“Nepal could have trapped us because chasing is their strength. But we worked on our mistakes in the defence in the first match.” said skipper Waikar. “This win gives me the confidence that kho kho’s growth as a sport will not halt now.”
Coach Ashwini Kumar said that England is likely to host the next edition in 2027.
