The first Kho Kho World Cup is set to have its semi-finals in New Delhi on Saturday, January 18, 2025. Both the men’s and women’s teams from the host country, India, are vying for a spot in the final four.
In the second semi-final, the tournament’s unbeaten Indian men’s national team will play South Africa. With a perfect record of four wins, the team led by Pratik Waikar finished ahead of Nepal and took first place in Group A. With a score of 100-40, India easily overcame Sri Lanka, the runners-up in Group C, in the quarterfinals.
With three victories and one defeat (against the group leaders, Iran), their rivals, South Africa, came in second in Group B. With a score of 58-38, South Africa defeated England, the Group D winners, in the championship match.
Iran and Nepal, both of whom had impressive quarterfinal wins, will also play in the first semi-final. Iran defeated Kenya, the runners-up in Group D, 86-18, while Nepal, the winners of Group C, upset Bangladesh, the leaders of Group D, 67-18.
In the Kho Kho World Cup 2025, the Indian women’s team is likewise having an impeccable campaign. With three victories, they won Group A under Priyanka Ingle’s direction. They defeated Bangladesh, who finished second in Group C, 109-16 in the quarterfinals.
South Africa, India’s opponents in the semi-finals, won all four of their group stage games and had an impeccable record. With a score of 51-46, they defeated Kenya, the runners-up of Group B, to move narrowly to the quarterfinals.
Nepal will face Uganda in the other women’s semi-final. Iran, the runners-up of Group A, suffered a stunning defeat at the hands of Nepal, the four-time winners of Group C, 103-8, in the quarterfinals. In order to guarantee their spot in the semi-finals, Uganda, the winners of Group B, handily overcame New Zealand, the runners-up of Group D, 71-26.
Kho Kho World Cup 2025 Semi-finals Schedule
16:30 IST: Nepal Women vs Uganda Women
17:45 IST: Nepal Men vs Iran Men
19:00 IST: India Women vs South Africa Women
20:15 IST: India Men vs South Africa Men
All the matches will be played at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
Kho Kho World Cup 2025 Live Streaming And Telecast Details
Live streaming of every Kho Kho World Cup 2025 match will be accessible on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website. DD Sports and the Star Sports Network will give the live coverage.
For those who don’t know, Kho Kho is an old-fashioned tag game that originated in India and is distinguished by its catch-me-if-you-can structure. It participated in the 1936 Berlin, Germany, Olympics as a demonstration sport. Early in the 20th century, the rules of the game were codified.
India Kho Kho Squads
Indian Men: Pratik Waikar (c), Prabani Sabar, Mehul, Sachin Bhargo, Suyash Gargate, Ramji Kashyap, Siva Pothir Reddy, Aditya Ganpule, Gowtham M.K., Nikhil B, Akash Kumar, Subramani V., Suman Barman, Aniket Pote, and S. Rokeson Singh.
Standby: Akshay Bangare, Rajvardhan Shankar Patil, and Vishwanath Janakiram.
Indian Women: Priyanka Ingle (c), Ashwini Shinde, Reshma Rathore, Bhilar Devjibhai, Nirmala Bhati, Neeta Devi, Chaithra R., Subhashree Sing, Magai Majhi, Anshu Kumari, Vaishnavi Bajrang, Nasreen Shaikh, Meenu, Monika, and Nazia Bibi.
Standby: Sampada More, Ritika Siloriya, and Priyanka Bhopi.
