Pakistan national kabaddi team

Pakistan
AssociationPakistan Kabaddi Federation
ConfederationAsian Kabaddi Federation (AKF)
Head CoachBadshah Gul[1]
CaptainShafique Ahmad Chishti[2]
Most capsMuhammad Irfan (230)
World Cup
0
Asian Games
9 (first in 1990)
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2nd (1998, 2006)
Asian Championship
3 (first in 2000)
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2nd (2005, 2017)

The Pakistan national kabaddi team represents Pakistan in international kabaddi. The Pakistan Kabaddi Federation manages the team.[3][4][5][6]

History

  • Pakistan secured a silver medal at the inaugural World Beach Kabaddi Championship 2024 in Bandar Anzali, Iran, after losing to the hosts in the final.[12][13][14][15]

Performance in the Asian Games

  • Pakistan is the only team besides arch rivals India to win a medal in every Asian Games Kabaddi competition.[16]
  • Pakistan won bronze medals in the 1990 and 1994 Asian Games. In the 1998 edition, Pakistan bagged silver, losing to India in the final. Four years later, Pakistan won third place in 2002 Asian Games before losing gold to India by 35-23 in the 2006 Asian Games in Doha. Pakistan came third in the next four editions of Asian Games in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022.[17]

Performance in the Asian Championship

  • Pakistan has won three medals at the Asian Kabaddi Championships, including two silver medals in 2005 at Tehran and in 2017 at Gorgan and one bronze medal in 2000 at Colombo.[18][19][20]

Performance in the South Asian Games

  • Pakistan became champions of South Asia in 1993 by beating archrival India in the final. It was the only time Pakistan became champions of South Asia. After that Pakistani team played as finalists six times and won bronze medals four times but never won another championships.[21]

Performance in the Cricle Asia Cup

  • Pakistan became Asian champion in 2012 by beating India in the final of Circle Kabaddi Asia Cup after finishing as runner up in the previous edition.[22]
  • Pakistan became Asian champion for the second time in a row in 2016 after beating India by 50-31 in the final of the Circle Kabaddi Asian Cup.[23][24]

Performance in the Asian Beach Games

  • In 2016, Pakistan became Asian champion after beating India by 30-28 in the finals. It was the first title of Pakistan in the Asian Beach Games and before that Pakistan finished as runner up for four times in the last four competitions.[25][26][27][28] Pakistan also won a bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Beach Games.[29][30][31]

Performance in the World Cup (circle style)

  • In 2020 Pakistan became World Champion after being runner up four times in the last five World Cup competitions, beating India by 43-41 at the Punjab Stadium in Lahore.[32]

Origination

Kabaddi is a traditional sport that originated in India and is part of the region's cultural heritage. The game is played across Asia and is known by various names: 'kabaddi' or 'kaudi' in Pakistan and India, 'Guddo' in Sri Lanka, and other names in Indonesia. Its rules also vary slightly between countries.[33]

Tournament records

Standard kabaddi

World Cup

Year Rank Pld W D L
India 2004Withdrew0000
India 2007Withdrew0000
India 2016Withdrew0000
Total0/30000

Asian Games

Year Rank M W D L PF PA PD
China 1990Third place6312134131+3
Japan 1994Third place420215390+63
Thailand 1998Runners-up641121980+139
South Korea 2002Third place530287106-19
Qatar 2006Runners-up5302164142+22
China 2010Third place430113170+61
South Korea 2014Third place420210089+11
Indonesia 2018Third place6402209125+84
China 2022Third place4202144160-16
Total9/944262161341993+348

Asian Kabaddi Championship

Asian Kabaddi Championship
Year Host country Position
2000 Sri Lanka Colombo, Sri Lanka 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2005 Iran Tehran, Iran 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2017 Iran Gorgan, Iran 2nd place, silver medalist(s)

South Asian Games

South Asian Games
Year Host city Position
1985 Bangladesh Dhaka, Bangladesh 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
1987 India Kolkata, India 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
1989 Pakistan Islamabad, Pakistan 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
1993 Bangladesh Dhaka, Bangladesh 1st place, gold medalist(s)
1995 India Madras, India 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
1999 Nepal Kathmandu, Nepal 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2004 Pakistan Islamabad, Pakistan 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2006 Sri Lanka Colombo, Sri Lanka 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2010 Bangladesh Dhaka, Bangladesh 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2016 India Guwahati & Shillong, India 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2019 Nepal Kathmandu, Pokhara & Janakpur, Nepal 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)

Dubai Kabaddi Masters

Year Rank Pld W D L
United Arab Emirates 2018Third place5203
Total1/15203

Beach kabaddi

World Beach Kabaddi Championship

Year Rank Pld W D L
Iran 2024Runners-up6501
Total1/16501

Asian Beach Games

Year Rank Pld W D L
Indonesia 2008Runners-up6411
Oman 2010Runners-up6501
China 2012Runners-up5401
Thailand 2014Runners-up5311
Vietnam 2016Champions4310
Vietnam 2026Third place4202
Total6/6302136

Indoor kabaddi

Asian Indoor and Martial Games

Year Rank Pld W D L
Macau 2007Runners-up7502
Vietnam 2009Did not enter
South Korea 2013Did not enter
Turkmenistan 2017Not contested
Total1/37502

Circle kabaddi

Circle World Cup

Year Rank Pld W D L
India 2010Runners-up5401
India 2011Third place8602
India 2012Runners-up5401
India 2013Runners-up7601
India 2014Runners-up7601
Pakistan 2020Champions6600
Total6/6383206

Circle Asian Cup

Year Rank Pld W D L
India 2011Runners-up5401
Pakistan 2012Champions5500
Pakistan 2016Champions5500
Total3/3151401

Current squad

Player Position Franchise
Shafiq Chishti (Captain)All-rounderFaisalabad Sherdils
Mudassar AliAll-rounderLahore Thunder
Nasir AliAll-rounderGujrat Warriors
Waqas ButtRaiderMultan Sikandar
Arshad NadeemRaiderSahiwal Bulls
Sohail AkhtarRaiderIslamabad All Stars
Bilal IrshadRaiderGwadar Bahadurs
Imran ButtRaiderKarachi Zorawar
Mohsin AliRaiderKashmir Janbaaz
Sajjad GujjarLeft-cover (Defender)Faisalabad Sherdils
Irfan MalikRight-corner (Defender)Peshawar Haiders
Asif NiaziRight-cover (Defender)Lahore Thunder
Amir NawazLeft-corner (Defender)Gujrat Warriors
Usman WarraichRight-corner (Defender)Karachi Zorawar
Taimoor KhanRight-cover (Defender)Kashmir Janbaaz
Naveed AshrafLeft-cover (Defender)Multan Sikandar

Coaching staff

Position Name
Head coach Pakistan Badshah Gul
Assistant coach Pakistan (Not publicly detailed)
Coaching staff (additional) Pakistan Pakistan Kabaddi Federation staff

International grounds

Pakistan national kabaddi team is located in Pakistan
Nishtar Park Sports Complex
Nishtar Park Sports Complex
Locations of stadiums which have hosted international kabaddi matches in Pakistan
StadiumCityProvinceCapacityMatches hostedNotes
Punjab Stadium, PakistanLahorePunjab10,000Kabaddi World Cup, international friendliesMain kabaddi venue in Pakistan; hosted multiple editions of Kabaddi World Cup (circle style)
Iqbal StadiumFaisalabadPunjab18,000National finals, exhibition matchesOriginally a cricket venue; occasionally used for outdoor kabaddi events
Nishtar Park Sports ComplexLahorePunjab5,000Asian Kabaddi Championship, training campsMulti-sport facility with indoor kabaddi arrangements

Friendly Tournament records

Circle Style Kabaddi

This style of game introduced in Pakistan in 1956 Pakistan participate in the below mentioned competitions

  • Pak Vs India Kabaddi Series 1956, India (Gold)
  • Canada Kabaddi Cup 1981, Canada (Silver)
  • Pak Vs India Kabaddi Series 1982 Lahore, Pakistan (Gold)
  • Pak Vs India Kabaddi Series 1983 Lahore, Pakistan (Silver)
  • Pak Vs India Kabaddi Series 1984 Lahore, Pakistan (Gold)
  • Prime Minister International Gold Cup 1997, Pakistan (Gold)
  • Pak Vs India Kabaddi Series 1998, India (Silver)
  • Prime Minister International Gold Cup 1999, Pakistan (Gold)
  • Pak Vs India Kabaddi Series 2002, India (Silver)
  • Indo-Pak Games 2004 Patyala, India (Silver)
  • Takkar Kabaddi Series 2008 Pakistan afaad (Silver)
  • Pak Vs India Kabaddi Series 2009, India (Silver)
  • International Kabaddi Tournament 2009 Kharian, Pakistan (Gold)
  • Kabaddi Premier League 2013, Dubai (Gold)
  • International Kabaddi Cup 2013 UK (Bronze)
  • 37th International Kabaddi Championship 2014 POF Wah (Gold)

Notable players

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Revive pro league to save kabaddi, says coach". Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  2. ↑ "Interview : Shafique Ahmad Chishti, Captain Pakistan Kabaddi Team". Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  3. ↑ "Kabaddi struggles for greater recognition". 22 August 2021.
  4. ↑ "Pakistan Kabaddi Team | Latest News, Schedule, and Updates".
  5. ↑ "Sports Board Punjab". Government of Pakistan – Sports & Youth Affairs. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
  6. ↑ "Pakistan defeat India, win Kabaddi World Cup for the first time". 16 February 2020.
  7. ↑ "Kabaddi team wins first Asian Games medal for Pakistan". The Nation. 2018-08-25. Retrieved 2026-08-18.
  8. ↑ "Wasim happy kabaddi delivered promised bronze". The Express Tribune. 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2026-08-18.
  9. ↑ "India beat Pakistan in kabaddi final : Indoor Asian Games". Dawn. 2007-11-03. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
  10. ↑ "Pakistan clinches silver at World Beach Kabbadi Championship". Hum News. 2024-09-29. Retrieved 2026-08-18.
  11. ↑ "Pakistan among top three in world kabaddi". Dawn. 2004-10-10. Retrieved 2026-08-18.
  12. ↑ "Pakistan clinches silver at World Beach Kabbadi Championship". Hum News. 2024-09-29. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
  13. ↑ "Iran crowned champions of World Beach Kabaddi". Tehran Times. 2024-09-30. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
  14. ↑ "Pakistan win silver medal in World Beach Kabaddi Championship". Daily Times. 2024-10-01. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
  15. ↑ "Pakistan Clinches Silver at World Beach Kabaddi Championship". ProPakistani. 2024-10-01. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
  16. ↑ "Kabaddi team wins first Asian Games medal for Pakistan". The Nation. 2018-08-25. Retrieved 2026-08-18.
  17. ↑ "India clinch gold medal in kabaddi". The Times of India. 2006-12-06. Retrieved 2026-08-18.
  18. ↑ "2005 Asian Kabaddi Championship: India". Asia Cup. 2026-02-25. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
  19. ↑ "Asian Kabaddi Championships 2017: India defeat Pakistan 36-22 in final to clinch title". Sportskeeda. 2017-11-25. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
  20. ↑ "Asian Kabaddi Championship – Men's Medal Table". Asia Cup. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
  21. ↑ "Five occasions when India lost in Kabaddi". Khel Kabaddi. 2020-07-09. Retrieved 2026-08-18.
  22. ↑ "Pakistan beat India to retain Asian Kabaddi title". Geo News. 2016-05-07. Retrieved 2026-08-18.
  23. ↑ "Pakistan down India to retain Asian Kabaddi title". The Nation. 2016-05-07. Retrieved 2026-08-18.
  24. ↑ "Pakistan beat India in 2016 Asia Kabaddi cup final". The Express Tribune. 2016-05-06. Retrieved 2026-08-18.
  25. ↑ "Pakistan kabaddi team down India to lift gold". The Nation. 2016-09-28. Retrieved 2026-08-18.
  26. ↑ "Pak beat India to win Asian Beach Games kabaddi in Vietnam". Associated Press of Pakistan. 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2026-08-18.
  27. ↑ "Pakistan win kabaddi title in Asian Beach Games". The News International. 2016-09-28. Retrieved 2026-08-18.
  28. ↑ "Pakistan defeats India to lift Asian Beach Games Kabbadi title". Dawn. 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2026-08-18.
  29. ↑ "Pakistan Secures Bronze Medal in Beach Kabaddi at Sanya 2026 Asian Beach Games". Pakistan Olympic Association. 2026-05-04. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
  30. ↑ "Sri Lanka and Pakistan men win kabbadi bronze". Daily Mirror. 2026-04-29. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
  31. ↑ "Pakistan bags three medals at Asian Beach Games with strong show in wrestling, kabaddi". The Nation. 2026-04-29. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
  32. ↑ "Look: Pakistan beat arch rivals India in kabaddi World Cup". Gulf News. 2020-02-16. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
  33. ↑ "Sports Board Punjab". Government of Pakistan – Sports & Youth Affairs. Retrieved 2026-08-19.