Vijayawada Utsav Cup: Palnadu men, Srikakulam women clinch kabaddi titles

Vijayawada: Palnadu’s men and Srikakulam’s women emerged champions at the Vijayawada Utsav Cup 73rd Andhra Pradesh State Senior Inter-District Kabaddi Championship 2026, which concluded at Makineni Basava Punnaiah (MBP) Stadium in Ajit Singh Nagar, Vijayawada.

Palnadu clinched men’s title with a 35-29 victory over Visakhapatnam in a competitive final, while Srikakulam dominated women’s summit clash, defeating NTR district 28-9 to lift the trophy.

Organised from October 17 to 19 as part of Dasara festivities under the aegis of the Society for Vibrant Vijayawada, the championship brought together 25 district teams each in men’s and women’s categories.

The tournament followed a league-cum-knockout format across eight pools, showcasing the skills and competitive spirit of kabaddi players from across Andhra Pradesh.

In men’s semi-finals, Palnadu registered a convincing 25-10 win over Markapuram, while Visakhapatnam edged past Bapatla 42-41 in a nail-biting encounter. Bapatla and Markapuram shared third place.

In women’s section, Srikakulam secured a narrow 23-22 victory over Chittoor, while NTR defeated Bapatla 45-26 to enter the final. Bapatla and Chittoor finished joint third.

The league matches were inaugurated by Akula Raghavendra Rao, Joint Secretary of Athlete Association of India, and N Arjuna Rao, former international kabaddi player and working president of Andhra Kabaddi Association (AKA).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dasari Srinivasa Rao

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Dasari Srinivasa Rao is a Staff Reporter with The Hans India, covering NTR and Krishna districts, with a primary focus on Vijayawada. He has 32 years of experience in journalism. His reporting spans a wide range of beats, including city and rural development, politics, irrigation, education, crime, and human-interest stories.

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