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The 73rd Senior National Kabaddi Championship 2027 will be held from January 7 to 10 at the Sir M Vishveshvaraiah Stadium in Mandya, Karnataka, according to Olympics.com.
The premier domestic competition will feature teams representing States and Union Territories across the country, along with leading institutional teams. Around 30 teams comprising more than 400 players are expected to participate in the four-day tournament. Organised under the aegis of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), the tournament will mark the 73rd edition of the men's National Kabaddi Championship. All matches will be played on mats, with each team allowed a maximum of 14 players. Indian Railways will enter the competition as defending champions after clinching the 72nd edition of the Senior National Kabaddi Championship in Vadodara, Gujarat. The tournament, held from February 24 to 27, saw Railways defeat Maharashtra 49-31 in the final to lift the title. As per the format followed in the previous edition, participating teams will be divided into multiple pools, with the top two teams from each pool progressing to the knockout stage after the completion of the group matches. Over the years, the Senior National Kabaddi Championship has emerged as an important platform for nurturing young talent, with several players going on to make their mark in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). Two-time PKL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Naveen Kumar, Ashu Malik, Aslam Inamdar and Sumit Sangwan are among the prominent players who have featured in previous editions of the senior nationals. The previous edition also saw Sunil Kumar, the most successful captain in PKL history, play a key role in guiding Indian Railways to the championship title. Several players who featured in India's gold medal-winning squads at the 2026 Asian Games and the recently concluded Commonwealth Kabaddi Championships have also progressed through the ranks of the Senior National Kabaddi Championship. (ANI)
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