Ten Wolverhampton sports stars set to star in the Kabaddi World Cup in their home city
Wolverhampton's reputation as a hotbed of Kabaddi talent has been cemented with six local ladies who have been chosen for the England team ahead of the World Cup.
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The Kabaddi World Cup is being held in Wolverhampton in March, with the opening ceremony on March 17 at Aldersely Stadium and final at the Wolverhampton Halls. There will also be matches in Walsall at the Wolverhampton University campus. The men's quarter finals will be held there on March 21.
Wolverhampton Wrestling Club CEO Ranjit Singh told the Express & Star: "Kabaddi is a bit like wrestling and British Bulldog. But it involves a lot of team work.
"It is a fun game which is very popular. It is a huge achievement for Wolverhampton to host the world cup as it is the first time the competition has left Asia.
Ranjit, who has been a leading light in the sport over the last 30 years, also helped found the British Kabaddi League in 2022 and trains two men's teams, Wolverhampton Wolfpack and Walsall Hunters, and the Wolverhampton Wolfpack women's team.
He said: "We have three academies where people can train in Kabaddi and we are the official partners of the Kabaddi World Cup 2025."
Which Wolverhampton wrestlers are taking part in the Kabaddi World Cup?
Wolverhampton Wrestling Club is based at Guru Nanak Satsang Gurdwara, Cannock Road, and six of its women members are lining up for England, one member is joining the England men's team and three in the Scottish camp.
Speaking at the women's team training session at Wolverhampton College's Bilston Campus, Ranjit said: "We formed our ladies Kabaddi team a year ago so to have six local women playing for their country is a real achievement. The World Cup will be such a special event and really show the world Wolverhampton is a hotbed of Kabaddi."
The South Asian sport dates back 2,000 years but its modern framework of rules for the sport in Maharashra in the 1920s. It has been featured in the Olympics and Asian Games.
Wolfpack captain and team England player Manpreet Kaur explained why she enjoys the sport.
She said: "I enjoy the sport because of the passion involved. I watched my dad growing up playing Kabaddi so I now have the chance to come home and say how I have got on."
Team mate Imane Sibhi added: "It's very exciting. It's a teamwork. It's hard work. It's sweat, you just have to work all together for the best results."
For more information about Kabaddi at Wolverhampton Wrestling Club visit https://www.wolverhamptonwrestlingclub.co.uk/kabaddi.
Tickets for the Kabaddi World Cup 2025 range from £5 to £25 and went on general sale two weeks ago.
