Indian team for Kabaddi World Cup 2016 announced, Anup Kumar named captain

Speculations surrounding the final squad for the forthcoming Kabaddi World Cup were finally put to rest on Tuesday, as India announced it’s 14-member squad, led by two-time Asian Games gold medallist Anup Kumar.

The tournament will be played in Ahmedabad, beginning October 7 to 22. India will face South Korea in the opening game.

Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev unveiled the team jersey at the event in Mumbai. The 14-member squad for the event was named by Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) President Mridul Bhadauria.

India’s coach Balwan Singh said in the release: “Our aim is to have a balanced team composition for the upcoming World Cup. We are expecting the tournament to be more competitive than ever this year. It will be the biggest challenge that the Indian team has faced in recent times.”

Anup Kumar said: “I am extremely honoured to lead the country for the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. It’s every sportsperson’s dream to represent their country at a global stage. I’m proud of my team and we will all work towards bringing honour to India.”

The Kabaddi World Cup will bring nations of diverse geographies – the US, England, Australia, Iran, Poland, Thailand, Bangladesh, South Korea, Japan, Argentina, Kenya and hosts India – together fighting it out for the top prize.

India has decided to go with a lineup of 6 raiders, 5 defenders and 3 all-rounders. All 14 players were a part of the Pro Kabaddi League and have been in exceptional form.

Final Squad:

Anup Kumar (captain), Ajay Thakur, Deepak Hooda, Dharmaraj Cheralathan, Jasvir Singh, Kiran Parmar, Manjeet Chhilar, Mohit Chhilar, Nitin Tomar, Pardeep Narwal, Rahul Chaudhuri, Sanbdeep Narwal, Surinder Nada and Surjeet.