England surpass 100-mark in opposition to Hungary as they win on their opening day of the Paddy Power Kabaddi World Cup with beautiful defensive efficiency
- England confidently beat Hungary 101-25 in the Paddy Power Kabaddi World Cup
- Venues in Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton will host the tournament
- India are heavy favourites to win the World Cup following their triumph in 2019
The first-ever Paddy Power Kabaddi World Cup held outside Asia started well for England as they won their Group A opponents Hungary by 101-25 on Monday.
The national squad demonstrated a sensational performance in defence, forcing Hungary to call several timeouts after allowing England to score several four-points.
The hosts will be hoping to showcase fierce competition to India, which are set to defend both the men’s and women’s titles.
Furthermore, withdrawals from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Cameroon due to last-minute visa issues have further added to England’s confidence in the tournament.
Ahead of Monday’s clash, skipper ‘Harry’ Hardeep Singh reflected on the team’s potential for a triumph this year.
‘The only team I’d say we’re worried about is India, he told the Sun. ‘But I think we have got a good chance.’
England claimed a confident 101-25 victory over Hungary in the opening day of the Kabaddi World Cup – held outside Asia for the first time
Hungary were forced to take several timeouts following the national squad’s impressive performance in defence
England will be hoping to add competition to India, which are set to defend both men’s and women’s titles
‘I believe some of their stars are coming but nothing is out there on social media yet.
‘If you know somebody’s game, you can try to counteract it in defence or in raid.
‘It’s a big tournament. Kabaddi is the second most-watched sport in India – with the population well over a billion.’
India teams triumphed in 2019 when the tournament was held in Malaysia – with the men’s team beating Iraq 57-27 while the women claimed a 47-29 victory over Taiwan.
They are set to take on Italy in their opening game in Group B.
The event is hosted by World Kabaddi and the British Kabaddi League – also backed by the WMCA Commonwealth Games Major Events Legacy Fund.
The 2025 tournament is scheduled to take place between the 17th and 23rd of March and will be held at venues in Birmingham, Coventry, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
Kabaddi first originated over 5,000 years ago, and India is known as the first nation to help increase the awareness of the sport.
