India's Rotation Experiment Against England in Ahmedabad: Match 4 of the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship

When the Indian raider crosses the bonus line for the first time at the Ahmedabad sports complex on Wednesday night, a point will be added to the scoreboard — but the way to read that point is not what the TV commentary will tell you. In Match 4 of the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026, India takes on England, and this is India's first match of the campaign. Several big names are resting, young talents have been given a chance, and the captain and vice-captain are Surjeet Singh and Naveen Kumar respectively. Before the match even begins, one thing is clear: this fixture is not a test of India's true strength, but of its bench depth.

There is a nuance in kabaddi rules that works to deceive the data from such matches. When all seven players of a team are out, the opposition gets two bonus points and the entire team is revived — this is called an 'All Out'. Against a weaker team like England, Indian raiders will score quick touches and force All Outs, which will inflate the score rapidly. But after every All Out, England's team will be complete again, and India will get two extra points. This means that winning by a large margin is not a measure of India's true strength — it is simply the arithmetic of the rules.

I started a spreadsheet in a Hyderabad hostel room in 2026, logging 1,104 raids from Season 5. That is where I learned that kabaddi numbers do not just tell you who won or lost; they tell you how a team plays in specific situations. In today's match against England, another rule will be at work — the bonus line. When the opposing team has six or more players on the court, a raider can cross the bonus line to earn a point. Indian raiders will exploit this fully, but it will inflate their individual stats, which are not an accurate measure of their true ability.

The third rule is the 'Do-or-Die Raid'. After two consecutive empty raids, the third raid must produce a point, or the raider is out. This means a young player cannot simply burn clock. But against a weak team like England, this pressure will be minimal because touches will come easily. The real test will come against a team like Iran, whose deep defensive chain can trap Indian raiders.

India's captaincy has been given to Surjeet Singh and vice-captaincy to Naveen Kumar. This is a deliberate strategy — keeping senior players in leadership roles while giving young players a chance in the rest of the team. But there is one concern: the raiding burden on Naveen Kumar could be very heavy. If he is the 'Naveen Express' of Dabang Delhi, he is a proven player, but with no other experienced raider in the team, he may become the sole reliance. This situation is not entirely healthy.

England's team is built largely on the British Punjabi diaspora. Their level is well below Iran's and below the Asian top tier. So this match is an easy start for the Indian youngsters, but it is not their real test.

A major weakness of this tournament is that strong teams like Iran and Chinese Taipei are not playing. Iran is India's biggest challenger in men's kabaddi, and Chinese Taipei is strong in women's kabaddi. Their absence has significantly lowered the tournament's standard. And there is another point — the 'Commonwealth' name is misleading, because kabaddi is not part of the Commonwealth Games. The name is only meant to attract diaspora audiences.

I watched India lose 18-27 to Iran in the semifinal of the 2026 Jakarta Asian Games. That day I learned that teams do not win on big names alone. Iran's wrestling-based defence had slowed down the Indian raiders. Today there is no such threat against England, but it is important to remember that the real test is yet to come.

For me, the most interesting thing is that India is the favourite even with its second-string team. This itself is evidence of kabaddi's structural imbalance. No other country can field such a strong team while resting its stars. This is the benefit of India's depth, but it diminishes the meaning of the tournament.

As for the data, no statistics are available before this match — no raid success rate, no tackle points, no recent performance. So I will not claim how any young player will perform. Whatever happens will be seen on the field. But one thing is certain — if India wins by a large margin, do not take it as proof of India's strength. It is simply the advantage of the rules against a weak opponent.

The thing to watch going forward is the semifinal or final, when India faces the tournament's second-strongest team. That is when the young raiders will face their real test. That is when we will know if these players can handle a deep defence like Iran's. And it will also be worth watching whether anyone other than Naveen Kumar steps up in raiding. If not, India's raiding will remain dependent on one player — and that is a warning sign for any team.