India’s men’s and women’s Kabaddi teams received a warm send-off at the Sports Authority of India National Centre of Excellence in Gandhinagar on Tuesday as they prepared to leave for the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

Both 12-player squads completed their final preparatory camp at the Gandhinagar facility from September 5 to 14. The men’s team is headed by Balwan Singh, assisted by BC Ramesh and Anup Kumar, while Neeta Dadwe coaches the women’s side with Mamtha Poojari as her assistant.

Women’s captain Pushpa Rana believes India’s league system has helped Kabaddi grow beyond the country.

“The league culture in our country is not only helping develop our own team and our players, but is also strengthening Kabaddi in other countries. Players and coaches from different countries are getting exposure through our leagues and taking that experience back to their respective countries. This is helping the standard of the sport grow internationally. The dedicated Kabaddi facilities here at SAI NCOE Gandhinagar have also provided us with a very good environment for our preparations,” Rana said.

India’s men have the 12-team Pro Kabaddi League, which has run for more than a decade and attracts international talent. However, apart from exhibition matches, there is no equivalent women’s competition.

Men’s captain Sunil Kumar said international Kabaddi has become quicker and more tactical.

“Kabaddi has evolved significantly. The game is becoming faster and more tactical, and the competition at the international level is increasing. The training environment here has been very good, particularly the Strength and Conditioning facilities, which have supported our physical preparation. We are prepared for the challenge and will give our best at the Asian Games,” he said.

Dadwe said the women had completed several camps since May and were ready for the Games. “We are very well prepared. We had a 15-day training camp in May, followed by a month-long camp in June, then another month-long camp at JSW Bellare and finally the camp here at SAI, Gandhinagar. We are looking forward to the Games,” she said.

She also praised the support provided during the camps, saying requirements were addressed promptly and arrangements were “excellent.”

Balwan Singh similarly praised both squads. “Both the men’s and women’s teams have worked extremely hard during the camp. The players have shown great commitment, discipline and dedication throughout the preparation, and the quality of training gives us confidence about our performance at the Games. We are grateful to SAI NCOE Gandhinagar and the management for the support extended to the teams during the camp,” he said.

India will arrive as defending champion in both events after winning the men’s and women’s gold medals at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

After Aichi-Nagoya, both squads are scheduled to compete at the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship in Ahmedabad from October 10 to 20.