Kabaddi Word Cup : 2016 Ready To Ride

International Kabaddi Federation (IKF)

The Indian team for the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup was announced yesterday by Dr. Mrs. Mridul Bhadauria, President of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI). On this momentous day, the jersey of Team India for the tournament was unveiled too by iconic Indian cricketer and World Cup winning captain Mr. Kapil Dev.

Kabaddi team captain Anup Kumar (left) speaks with former cricket captain Kapil Dev during an event in Mumbai on Tuesday.

The eighth edition of Kabaddi World Cup will be held in India in October. International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) will organise the event. In India the domestic tournament, Pro Kabaddi League, has been a super hit and now the sport is looking to gain popularity internationally.

Basic Rule of Kabaddi :

The countries which will take part in the tournament are Iran, South Korea, Bangladesh, USA, England, Australia, Poland, Thailand, Japan, Argentina, Kenya and hosts India.

Balwan Singh is the head coach of the squad with E Baskaran as his deputy.

“The training camp hosted in Ahmedabad involved rigorous training that helped us select the right set of players for the Indian squad. Our aim is to have a balanced team composition for the upcoming World Cup,” said Balwan.

“We are expecting the tournament to be more competitive than ever this year. It will be the biggest challenge that the Indian team has faced in recent times.”

Cricket legend and captain of the 1983 World Cup winning team, Kapil Dev, unveiled the team jersey. The cricket icon also presented Anup his autographed, colour T—shirt that he had worn in Australia when India played its first limited overs contest Down Under.

Asked by Anup how he handled pressure in tight situations as a captain, Kapil said: “Players don’t feel pressure once they are involved with the team. Just enjoy the game and results will come.”

The squad:

1) Anup Kumar (captain, Haryana)