A 'mini Kerala' in England squad for Kabaddi World Cup

KOCHI: Don't be surprised if you hear shouts of 'pidikkedi' (catch her) or 'pootteda' (block him) when the England team takes the field for the Kabaddi World Cup 2025 next week. Four Malayalis, including captain Athira Sunil, are playing in England's women's team, while the men's team has two from the state.

Besides these six, there are seven Indian-origin players in these 14-member teams. Also, the women's team is coached by Keralite Saju Mathew, who incidentally was the first Indian to play for the England national kabaddi team.

The tournament, organised by the World Kabaddi Federation (WKF), will be held in West Midlands from March 17-23. Alongside Athira, who hails from Nayarambalam, Neeraja Unni Suma and Neelima Unni Suma (siblings from Nedumangad) and Pressymol Kalathil (Kottayam) feature in the women's squad, while Mashood K (Ponnani) and Abhijith Krishnan Thaivalappil (Cheruvathur) are part of the men's squad.

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