Thailand looked sharp early on, while Bangladesh took time to settle. But once the hosts found their rhythm, there was no turning back. Finishing the first half with a well-earned lead, Bangladesh outplayed Thailand 40–31 in a pulsating contest to book their place in the semifinals of the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup — and with it, secure the nation’s first-ever medal in a women’s world-level event.
From the start of the tournament in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s players and officials spoke boldly about their medal ambitions.
On Saturday, they delivered. The victory sparked jubilation across the red-and-green camp, with players and coaches waving the national flag in response to the roaring crowd at the Shaheed Suhrawardi Indoor Stadium.
Thailand won the toss and opted to raid first, with Thanyalak Benrith claiming a bonus to open the scoring. Bangladesh hit back quickly—Shraboni Mallik earned a bonus point on her first raid and followed it up by taking out a defender.
Though Thailand controlled the early phases, it was Maibi Chakma who handed Bangladesh their first lead midway through the opening half. The game ebbed and flowed from there: Rekha Aktari conceded a point while attempting a tackle, but Brishti Biswas immediately replied with a successful raid.
A moment of concern arrived in the ninth minute as key raider Shraboni Mallik left the mat with an injury. Yet Bangladesh held firm. From an 11–11 deadlock, Bristi struck again—this time taking out two defenders in a single raid to restore the lead. The hosts went into the break up 14–12.
Bangladesh exploded after halftime, enforcing an All-Out to surge ahead 18–13. Their dominance grew with every minute as both raiders and defenders displayed superb control and precision. Another All-Out widened the gap to 31–18. Thailand mounted a late push, but all they managed was to narrow the deficit. Bangladesh closed out the match 40–31, sealing a historic place in the semifinals and guaranteeing a medal on home soil.
Bd-pratidin English/ ANI
