In a surprising turn of events, the second edition of the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup has been postponed just one hour after Bangladesh revealed their 15-member squad for the tournament in a press conference held at the Bangladesh Olympic Association auditorium on Saturday.
The tournament, initially scheduled to take place in Hyderabad, India, from 3rd to 10th August 2025, has now been put on hold. The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) notified the Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation of the postponement via an official letter on the same day. The letter stated: “Due to limited time available for organising the tournament, it has been decided, keeping the best interests of the sport in mind, to postpone the 2nd Women’s Kabaddi World Cup 2025. Revised dates will be announced shortly.”
The Women’s Kabaddi World Cup was to return after a gap of more than a decade, following the inaugural edition in Patna, India, in 2012.
Bangladesh had finalised their squad ahead of the competition, appointing Ruplai Akter as captain, and had planned to depart for India on 1st August. Preparations for the tournament had been ongoing since February, with the team training under local coaches Shahnaz Parvin Maleka and Arduzzaman Munshi at the Riya Gope Women’s Sports Complex in Dhaka.
As part of their build-up, the national team made history by playing their first-ever Kabaddi Test series in Nepal this past April.
In related news, the Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation also announced that the national championships, for both men and women, will begin on 29th July.