Bangladesh confirm bronze medal at the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup after a strong win over Thailand.
The women in red and green secured a bronze medal in the women’s kabaddi World Cup with a 39-31 win over Thailand on Saturday. The home crowd at the Mirpur Shaheed Sohrawardi Indoor Stadium erupted in joy. Players held the national flag and took a lap of honour on the mat. It was a historic moment for the team.
Bangladesh and Thailand met in the 23rd match of the tournament. Thailand won the toss and began with a bonus point. Shraboni Mallik answered with Bangladesh’s first point, also from a bonus. She then got another player out. Thailand kept a small lead early in the first half. Maybe Chakma broke that rhythm and gave Bangladesh their first lead of the match.
The match stayed close. Rekha Aktari conceded a point while attempting a tackle. Bristhi Biswas earned one back in the next raid. In the ninth minute, Shraboni Mallik left the mat due to injury. With the scores level at 11-11, Bristhi removed two players in a single raid and pushed Bangladesh ahead. The hosts reached the break with a 14-12 lead.
Bangladesh grew stronger after the break. They forced an early all-out to make it 18-13. Their control increased as they kept scoring through both raids and tackles. Thailand suffered a second all-out as Bangladesh stretched the lead to 31-18. Thailand fought late but could only narrow the gap.
Bangladesh began their World Cup run with a 42-22 win over Uganda. They beat Germany 57-27 in their second match. Their only defeat came against India, where they lost 18-43 to the defending champions.
After three matches, Bangladesh and Thailand were level on 4 points each. The win took Bangladesh into the semifinals and ensured their first World Cup medal. The team’s previous best was fifth place in the inaugural edition in 2012.
