Bangladesh thrash Korea in opener

Three-time champions Bangladesh made a flying start in the 4th Bangabandhu Cup International Kabaddi, outplaying Korea 67-22 with 'five lonas' in the opening match of the 12-team tournament at the Shaheed Suhrawardi Indoor Stadium in Mirpur today.

The hosts had lost to the same opponents in their last two meetings, getting thrashed 38-18 in 2018 Asian Games following a nerve-wrecking 35-32 defeat in the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup.

The charges of Abdul Jalil did not repeat the mistakes of the past as they completed a convincing win over the Koreans in front of a passionate home crowd who cheered the team throughout after the match got underway one hour after the scheduled time.

The crowd were especially behind captain Arduzzaman Munshi, chanting 'Munshi, Munshi' during his successful raids, of which there were many.

Mizanur Rahman, who was in doubt for the match after returning to the national team's fold just one week before the tournament, put on a stellar show alongside another star performer Al Amin as the men in red and green collected points from both raids and in defense.

Bangladesh led the first half 23-11 and kept widening the margin as the game progressed.

"Our team communication was really good, so the margin was also big. If we can keep this communication going among the players, I am confident that we can reach our target of becoming champions," said captain Arduzzaman, who had missed the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 following injury.

Coach Jalil believes the strategy was key in the Korea match.

"The footwork of the Korea team was initially good and we were losing points while trying to catch them. They were also attacking from one side to another. But they did not have a raider from the left side. So, we analysed it and started defending the opponents accordingly.

"They played wide but we defended closely. I think the strategy made the difference while our raiders – Munshi, Mizan and Al Amin – also performed boldly in the match," said coach Jalil adding that the upcoming matches are also going to be challenging.

Korean coach Jinseok Kang said that they have brought a comparatively young team to groom them up.

"Most of our players are aged between 20 to 23. Though there are also a few old campaigners," said Jinseok.

Arduzzaman, who announced that he will retire after the tournament, said that although it was a new-look Korea team, the hosts didn't take them lightly.

"It is true that I did not find the Korean players that I had played against before as most of their players are new. But they are still good. We were wary of them from the beginning."