Pakistan has won the Circle Kabaddi World Cup by defeating India at the Punjab Stadium in Lahore on Sunday. Pakistan has won the title for the first time by beating the unrecognized Indian team 43-41 in the final. In this close match, the hosts were trailing 18-24 by half time, but Pakistan beat India by two points in the second half in a strong reversal. From Pakistan, Mohammad Irfan alias Manna Jatt and star raider Shafiq Chishti have been the heroes of victory.
Before this, India had defeated Pakistan in the final four times, but the fifth time they won it right away with a very close margin. This World Cup was also in a lot of controversies. Actually, the Indian team reached Lahore on 7 February via Wagah border without informing anyone. The team consisted of 45 players, 12 officials and coaches. The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), the largest organization of kabaddi in India, wrote a letter to Pakistan, saying that they did not send any team for the Circle Kabaddi World Cup, the team that went to Lahore to play it with the name and tricolor of India. Is not allowed until The Sports Ministry is under investigation against this team. On February 8, the same day after the Indian team's photo from Pakistan went viral on social media, Sports Minister Kiran Rijiju said in his statement that, 'Nobody allowed kabaddi players to go to Pakistan. We have no role in giving visas to the players. We will talk to the Kabaddi Federation whether or not they informed about the visit to the concerned department or ministry first. '
There is a Circle Kabaddi World Cup held in Pakistan, which is different from Kabaddi standards. Circle Kabaddi is also not recognized by the International Kabaddi Federation. It is a part of the Asian Games. In circle kabaddi, players play in a circle and not standard kabaddi. According to the set standards, a kabaddi team consists of 7 players below 80 kg weight, while in circle kabaddi there is no weight restriction. Also, 8 players play in a team in this tournament. Apart from this, the playground is also kept spherical.
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