DHAKA, March 6, 2025 (BSS) - Bangladesh women's kabaddi team made losing start in the 6t edition of Asian Women's Kabaddi Championship when they were beaten by defending champions India by 64-23 points in their opening Pool A encounter held at the Iranian town of Pardis today (Thursday).

Bangladesh will play their second group match this evening against Malaysia which suffered 45-24 points defeat to Thailand also their opening group match.

Meanwhile, host Iran beat Iraq by 58-13 points in their opening group B match.

The previous edition of the Asian Women's Kabaddi Championship was held in 2017. Bangladesh women's kabaddi team is participating in this tournament with the aim of winning the bronze medal. Seven teams are participating in this championship split into two groups. 

Bangladesh grouped with Pool A along with Thailand, India and Malaysia while the pool B consists with hosts Iran, Nepal and Iraq.

Iran has finished as runners-up twice, in 2007 and 2008, and had two third-place finishes in 2016 and 2017.

The semifinals and final of the championship will be held on March 7 and March 8, respectively.

The championship will serve as a platform ahead of the Women's Kabaddi World Cup, set to take place in Bihar later this year. This will serve as a preparatory ground for the participating teams to fine-tune their skills.