The Kabaddi Masters tournament is all set to kick off on Friday, 22 June. A prelude to the Asian Games for many of the teams, the six-nation strong competition’s inaugural edition is being held in Dubai over 9 days.
Traditionally a dominant kabaddi power, India will look to continue their supremacy on the mat. Very few teams pose a threat to the sport’s native sons, who are the reigning Asian and World Champions.
But danger approaches in their very first bout.
India plays arch-rival Pakistan in the opener of the tournament, one of the only teams to actually challenge Indian teams historically.
Although India go in as heavy favourites, and Pakistan has not beaten India in kabaddi since 1993, they are likely to be pushing for an upset in the very first round.
The India-Pakistan rivalry is especially prominent in this niche sport, which only a few nations have adopted, and made teams representing their countries on this level.
The Indian side will be captained by raider Ajay Thakur for the second time in an international tournament. India are drawn with Pakistan and Kenya in Group A. Group B consists of South Korea, Argentina and Iran, widely considered the third strongest team in the tournament.
Each group will feature one game per day. The format will be a double round robin, which each team playing the other teams in the group twice. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals of the Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018, on 29 June.
Where Will the India vs Pakistan Bout Take Place?
Al Wasl Sports Club in Dubai will be hosting all the matches in the tournament
When Will It Take Place?
The opening match Group A between India and Pakistan will start at 8 pm IST (6:30 pm in Dubai).
Where Do I watch India vs Pakistan LIVE?
All Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018 matches will be broadcast on the Star Sports network starting 22 June, including India vs Pakistan
Where Do I watch India vs Pakistan LIVE Online?
The India vs Pakistan kabaddi match will be streamed LIVE on HotStar.
Full Squads for the India vs Pakistan Showdown
India : Girish Maruti Ernak, Surender Nada, Sandeep, Mohit Chhillar, Raju Lal Choudhary, (PO) Surjeet Singh, Deepak, Pardeep Narwal, Rahul Chaudhari, Rishank Krishna Devadiga, Monu Goyat, Rohit Kumar, Ajay Thakur, Manjeet Chhillar
Pakistan : Nasir Ali, Waqar Ali, Mudassar Ali, Qaisir Abbas, Kashif Razzaq, Muhammad Nadeem, Sajjad Shaukat, Muhammad Imran, Muhammad Safian, Abid Hussain, Akhlaq Hussain, Wasim Sajjad, Muhammad Nisar, Muzammal Hussain
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