India defeat Nepal in opening recreation of inaugural Kho Kho World Cup: All you have to learn about event

The inaugural Kho Kho World Cup obtained underway with the Indian males’s staff defeating Nepal within the opening recreation in New Delhi on Monday. Led by captain Pratik Waikar and cheered on by the house crowd on the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium within the nationwide capital, India defeated their neighbours 42-37.

The Indians had wrapped up Nepal’s first three defenders simply 60 seconds into the sport and surged to an enormous 14-point lead with three minutes remaining in Flip 1, having dismissed two batches of Nepal defenders at that time with the hosts’ scientific efficiency spearheaded by Waikar and Ramji Kashyap.

Sachin Bhargo, who changed Waikar as India’s ‘Wazir’, would later produce a spectacular skydive to take India’s rating to 24 contact factors on the break.

India face Brazil of their subsequent match within the males’s part on Tuesday whereas within the girls’s part, the hosts start their marketing campaign in opposition to South Korea.

The India-Nepal conflict had been preceded by a spectacular opening ceremony that was attended by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar, Union Sports activities Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in addition to Indian Olympic Affiliation (IOA) president and dash legend PT Usha together with hundreds of spectators.

Vice President Dhankar lit the torch to suggest the beginning of the showpiece occasion, whereas the opening ceremony, which started with a sand artwork projection paying ode to Mom Earth and in addition had colourful dance performances in addition to the revealing of the World Cup trophy for the lads’s and ladies’s event by the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI).

“This has been a spectacular begin to the event. It appears like all the world is celebrating Kho Kho.

“As we speak’s momentous event will go down in our golden historical past of sports activities. I’m assured that in future, our personal indigenous sports activities will attain the worldwide stage,” Dhankar mentioned on the opening ceremony.

𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐝𝐬 🎶

The opening ceremony of #KhoKhoWorldCup 2025 was an electrifying begin! 🏆🔥

Try every thing as #TheWorldGoesKho on our web site 🔗 https://t.co/fKFdZBc2Hy or obtain the app 👉… pic.twitter.com/DmL0qWE0hA

— Kho Kho World Cup India 2025 (@Kkwcindia) January 13, 2025

Sports activities Minister Mandaviya, in the meantime, said that he hoped to see kho kho being performed within the Asian Video games within the close to future, and even within the Olympics.

“I’m proud to have India internet hosting this excellent event. Kho Kho, which originated from India, is now being performed throughout 50 international locations.

“I hope to see Kho Kho being performed on the Asian Video games and the Olympics quickly. I congratulate all of the gamers from the 23 nations and lengthen my finest needs to everybody concerned,” Mandaviya mentioned on the occasion.

Olympic chief Usha hoped the Kho Kho World Cup would reignite ardour for India’s indigenous sports activities.

“From kho kho’s origins within the rural hinterland to now being performed on the worldwide stage, I want to congratulate the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) for its efforts in turning a dream into actuality. I’m assured that the Kho Kho World Cup will ignite the eagerness for India’s indigenous video games,” Usha mentioned on the occasion.

Right here’s every thing you have to know in regards to the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup:

What number of groups are collaborating within the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup?

The inaugural Kho Kho World Cup will characteristic 20 groups within the males’s event and 19 within the girls’s occasion, with hosts India that includes in each.

Pakistan have been additionally scheduled to take part within the event, dealing with India within the opening recreation of the lads’s in addition to girls’s tournaments,
however couldn’t take part resulting from visa points. Canada had additionally been invited to take part, however withdrew resulting from worsening ties with India.

Right here’s a group-wise take a look at the groups in motion within the Kho Kho World Cup:

Males’s event:

Group A: India, Nepal, Peru, Brazil, Bhutan
Group B: South Africa, Ghana, Argentina, Netherlands, Iran
Group C: Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Republic of Korea, United States of America, Poland
Group D: England, Germany, Malaysia, Australia, Kenya

Ladies’s Event:

Group A: India, Iran, Malaysia, Republic of Korea
Group B: England, Australia, Kenya, Uganda, Netherlands
Group C: Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Germany, Bangladesh
Group D: South Africa, New Zealand, Poland, Peru, Indonesia

What’s the format of the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup?

The event might be performed in two phases – the group stage and knockouts. Every staff performs the remaining groups from its group as soon as, and the highest two sides from a bunch advance to the quarter-finals, which can then be adopted by the semi-finals and the ultimate.

How lengthy will the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup go on for?

The Kho Kho World Cup might be going down over the course of per week. After getting underway on Monday, 13 January, the group stage will run until Thursday, 16 January. The knockouts might be performed between 17 and 19 January, with the ultimate going down on Sunday, 19 January at 7 pm.

The place will matches within the Kho Kho World Cup be performed?

The inaugural Kho Kho World Cup might be performed on the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.

The place can I watch the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup stay?

The event might be telecast on Doordarshan Sports activities in addition to on the Star Sports activities community. Matches can even be streamed stay on the Disney+ Hotstar web site and software.