The Nepali women’s Kabaddi team settled for a bronze at the sixth edition of the Asian Women’s Kabaddi Championship that featured seven teams in Tehran, Iran.

Nepal was pitted in Group B alongside Iran and Iraq while India, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Thailand were in Group A. Nepal defeated Iraq 68-6 and lost to Iran 14-47 to enter the semi-final.

Nepal faced India, four-time winners of the championship’s last five editions, in the semi-final while hosts Iran met Bangladesh.

India, a Kabaddi powerhouse, defeated Nepal with a big margin 56-18 in the semis. Similarly, Iran defeated Bangladesh 41-18 to book a spot in the final against India.

India and Iran had a tough battle in the final, but the hosts could not prevent India from defending their title. India defeated Iran 32-25 to lift the championship for the fifth time.

It is also not the first time that Nepal was denied a bigger achievement by India. India had defeated Nepal in the semi-final of the 19th Asian Games as well, following which the women’s Kabaddi team settled for a bronze; it was the debut for the Nepali women’s Kabaddi team in the Asian Games.

Nevertheless, Nepali women Kabaddi players still have a chance for a bigger medal in the sport as they are participating in the second edition of the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup in India in June.

“Now, it is time for the World Cup,” Arbind Kumar Jha, secretary general at the All Nepal Kabaddi Association (ANKA), posted on his Facebook after losing to India in the semi-final.

India is hosting the second edition of the World Cup from June 1 to 13 in Rajgir, Bihar, with participation from 14 countries including Nepal, China, Japan and South Korea. India is hosting the second edition after a gap of 13 years. The first edition of the event was held in Patna, India that saw the hosts lift the trophy.