The Indian men’s and women’s teams etched their names in history as they clinched the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup titles in front of their home crowd in Delhi on Sunday.
Both the Indian teams beat neighbours Nepal in the final and had gotten the better of South Africa in the semi-finals en route to the title.
Read takes a look at the Indian teams’ unbeaten run to win the first-ever Kho Kho World Cup:
India Women in 2025 Kho Kho World Cup
Beat South Korea
The Indian women’s team started their inaugural Kho Kho World Cup campaign with a massive 175-18 win over South Korea.
The experienced Nasreen Shaikh, who would go on to announce her retirement at the end of the World Cup, and veteran Nirmala Bhati stood out for the hosts, winning the Best Player of the Match and Best Attacker of the Match award respectively.
The thumping win announced the hosts’ arrival at the World Cup as the overwhelming favourites. The 175 points scored in the match also stood as a record across both the men’s and women’s competitions.
Beat Iran
India carried forward the momentum to their second league match, upstaging Iran 100-16 in the four-team Group A.
Skipper Priyanka Ingle was the star of the show with an impressive all-round display, while Meenu was named the Best Defender of the Match.
India also booked a spot in the quarter-finals with this comfortable match over Iran.
Malaysian Beat
The third match against Malaysia did not hold any significance for the Indian women’s team. They had already booked a spot in the knockouts with two wins in as many matches, yet they came out all guns blazing.
Reshma Rathod and Monika took the charge this time around as the hosts touched the 100-point mark for the third consecutive time, registering a 100-20 win.
Beat Bangladesh (Quarter-final)
The Indian women’s team continued their merry ways even as the knockout rounds began with the quarter-finals.
The Ingle-led side registered their fourth successive score of over 100 in the World Cup as they took down neighbours Bangladesh 109-16 to qualify for the top four.
While Ashwani Sindhe was named Best Player of the Match, Magai Majhi and Ritu were the best attacker and best defender respectively as India completed a commanding victory.
Beat South Africa (Semi-final)
It was South Africa in the semi-finals, who brought a halt to the Indian women’s team’s century-scoring spree in the 2025 Kho Kho World Cup. That being said, a win was never out of the question for the hosts even then.
Led by a spirited performance from Vaishnavi Pawar and the experienced Bhati, India defeated South Africa – the only non-Asian country in the top four – 66-16.
Beat Nepal (Final)
The eventual runners-up Nepal posed the biggest challenge to the dominating run of the Indian women’s team in the 2025 Kho Kho World Cup.
However, the women in blue were not to be stopped as they pocketed a convincing 78-40 victory in the final. Chaitra B was named Best Player of the Match for her stunning dream run, which lasted more than five minutes whereas Anshu Kumari was named Best Attacker of the Match.
India Men in 2025 Kho Kho World Cup
Beat Nepal
The 2025 Kho Kho World Cup opener was possibly the biggest challenge the Indian men’s team faced throughout the tournament.
Arguably the second-best team in the world, Nepal pushed the hosts to the brink. However, India still managed to eke out a narrow 42-37 win. This would remain their closest win of the World Cup.
Aditya Ganpule was the Best Player of the Match while Siva Reddy was named Best Attacker of the Match.
Beat Brazil
Putting behind their first match jitters, the Indian men’s team returned with a much better performance in their second match against Brazil.
They were ably led by captain Pratik Waikar, who was named Best Player of the Match, and Pabani Sabar – the best attacker, as they registered a 64-37 win.
Beat Peru
With two wins in the bag, the Indian men’s team started growing in confidence. It was evident in the way they played and even in the scoreline.
Aniket Pote and Ramji Kashyap put in match-winning performances as they took down the South American nation 70-38 to all but ensure their spot in the quarter-finals
Beat Bhutan
India was right on the money in the inconsequential match against Bhutan. It was a complete all- round show as the men in blue registered a comfortable 71-34 win to set up a quarter-final clash against Sri Lanka.
Beat Sri Lanka (Quarter-final)
The quarter-final against Sri Lanka was possibly India’s best performance in the 2025 Kho Kho World Cup.
They touched the 100-point mark for the first time in the tournament, beating the island nation 100-40 by a massive 60 points.
Kashyap was once again the star of the show with a brilliant all-round display, while Subramani impressed with his attacking prowess.
Beat South Africa (Semi-final)
Up against South Africa in the semi-finals, the Indian men’s team eked out a 60-42 win to book a spot in the 2025 Kho Kho World Cup Final.
The Indians were put under immense pressure by the South Africans with the hosts even trailing at the end of the third turn. However, with their attacking turn left, the hosts turned it around for a win.
Gowtham MK and Sachin Bhargo starred with brilliant individual performances to take India to the title clash.
Beat Nepal (Final)
Having learned from their mistakes from the six matches before the final, the Indian men’s team was in a comfortable position throughout the title clash.
Waikar and co steadied their defense – their biggest weakness in the World Cup – while the attackers continued their merry ways.
Mehul was named Best Player of the Match and Suyash Gargate the Best Attacker as the Indian men’s team beat Nepal 54-36 to be crowned champions.
Comments are closed.