Abhilasha Mhatre is an Indian professional kabaddi player and was the Captain of Indian National Women's Kabaddi Team. She has won the prestigious Arjuna Award of Government of India in 2015. Known for her elegant footwork she is regarded as one of the finest kabaddi players in India. She is fondly referred as "Queen of Kabaddi". She was a member of the Indian kabaddi team that won the gold medal at the Asian Games in 2014 in Incheon. She was also the member of Indian team that won the Kabaddi World Cup in 2012 in Patna, India.
Early career
Abhilasha studied at Swami MuktanandHigh School in Mumbai. She was in seventh grade when she started playing for the Chembur Krida Kendra club. Their practice ground was her school ground. Many renowned senior players of her club used to practice there, so she got to see big tournaments at a young age. After continuous excellent performances at national Level, her talent and hard work earned her a place in the Indian team in 2006 for the SouthAsian Games in Sri Lanka.
Injuries and comeback
After representing India at the age of 17, Abhilasha suffered successive injuries in 2007 and 2008. Both her knees required operations, which kept her away from kabaddi. However she made a strong comeback in 2010 and won a gold medal in the 57th Senior National Kabaddi Championship, Dombivali. She was awarded as the best player of the tournament in 58th Senior National Kabaddi Championship, Udipi. Abhilasha recollected, "I had lost all hopes after my second injury. I thought this was it. My kabbadi career was over. But I made a comeback in 2010 and prove myself wrong". She played five major international events after her comeback.
National career
Abhilasha Mhatre represented Maharashtra state kabaddi team for the first time in 2005. She led Maharashtra in the Senior National Kabaddi Championship at Hyderabad where Maharashtra won the silver medal. She was awarded the 'Best Player of the Tournament'. After her stint with Maharashtra she represented Indian Railways for more than five years and won five gold medals. She also won the 'Best Raider Award' in 2011 while representing Railways. She switched back to Maharashtra and currently is the regular member of team. She has played 10 Senior National Kabaddi Championships and has won 5 Gold Medals, 1 Silver Medal and 4 Bronze Medals.
International career
She made her International debut in the South Asian Games in Sri Lanka in 2006, in which India won the gold medal. She missed the Asian Games of 2010 but regained her place in the Indian team in 2012. She played a vital role in 2012 Women's Kabaddi World Cup to win India the title. She was also the part of Indian squad that won gold medal in the 4th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games held in South Korea in 2013. In 2014, she represented India in the 17th Asian Games that took place in Incheon, South Korea and won the gold medal. She performed extremely well under pressure in final match against Iran to see India through to the victory. Abhilasha admitted, "Being a sportsperson, the one medal that I am very proud of is the Gold in Asian Games". She represented India in 2016 South Asian Games hosted by India clinching another gold medal. She was handed over the captaincy of the India team for the Asian Kabaddi Championship, 2017 hosted by Iran. The Indian team went on to win the tournament adding one more gold medal to her tally.
Abhilasha Mhatre captained the team Ice Divas in the Women's Kabaddi Challenge, 2016 which was the professional league for Women like Pro Kabaddi League. Although her team did not win the title, Abhilasha did well in the league and was the second highest scorer of the tournament.
