KABADDI

INTRODUCTION :

Kabaddi (/kəˈbædi/,/ˈkʌbədi/) is a contact team sport played between two teams of seven
players, originating in ancient India. The objective of the game is for a single player on offense, referred to
as a "raider", to run into the opposing team's half of the court, touch out as many of their players as possible,
and return to their own half of the court, all without being tackled by the defenders in 30 seconds. Points
are scored for each player tagged by the raider, while the opposing team earns a point for stopping the
raider. Players are taken out of the game if they are touched or tackled, but return to the game after each
point scored by their team from a tag or tackle.
It is popular in the Indian subcontinent and other surrounding Asian countries. Although accounts of
kabaddi appear in the history of India, the game was popularised as a competitive sport in the 20th century.
It is the national sport of Bangladesh. It is the second most popular and viewed sport in India after cricket. It
There are two major disciplines: "Punjabi kabaddi", also called "circle style", comprises traditional forms
of the sport that are played on a circular field outdoors, and the "standard style", on a rectangular court
indoors, is played in major professional leagues and international competitions such as the Asian Games.
This game is known by numerous names in different parts of the Indian subcontinent, such
as: kabaddi or chedugudu in Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana; kabaddi in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala; kabaddi, komonti or ha-du-
du in West Bengal and Bangladesh; baibalaa in Maldives, kauddi or kabaddi in the Punjab region; hu-tu-
tu in WesternIndia,WesternIndia ha-do-do in EasternIndia; chadakudu in South
India; kapardi in Nepal; kabadi or sadugudu in Tamil Nadu; and chakgudu in Sri Lanka.

Etymology :
The raider is required to execute each raid on a single breath; in order to prove that they are not inhaling,
they are required to repeatedly chant the word "kabaddi", in a process referred to as a cant. The term kabaddi
is from a Tamil word composed of "Kai" and "Pidi", meaning "hand catch".

Ancient era :
Ronojoy Sen speculates in his book Nation At Play that kabaddi originated during the Vedic
period (between 1500 BC and 500 BC). There are accounts of Gautama Buddha and Lord Krishna having
played an ancient form of the sport.
According to the sport's origins, Kabaddi is a sport developed centered on Jallikattu. A player going to the
opposition is treated like a bull. It is like taming a bull without touching it, as it is mentioned in Sangam
Literature that the game called Sadugudu was practised since ages.
There are also accounts of kabaddi having been played in Iran 2,000 years ago.

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Modern era :
Modern kabaddi is a synthesis of the game played in various forms under different names in the Indian
subcontinent. India has been first credited with having helped to popularise kabaddi as a competitive sport,
with the first organized competitions occurring in the 1920s, their introduction to the programme of
the Indian Olympic Games in 1938, the establishment of the All-India Kabaddi Federation in 1950, and it
being played as a demonstration sport at the inaugural 1951 Asian Games in New Delhi. These
developments helped to formalize the sport, which had traditionally been played on muddy surfaces in
villages, for legitimate international competition.
The first framework of rules for the sport was prepared in Maharashtra in the 1920s, with English
sports serving as a model for this formalisation. One of the earliest modern tournaments of the sport, the
All India Kabaddi Tournament in 1923, was played according to these amended rules. After being
demonstrated again at the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi, kabaddi was added to the Asian Games programme
beginning in 1990.
The advent of the Pro Kabaddi LeaguePro (PKL) in 2014 revolutionised the standard style of the sport,
with various rule changes being made; for example, whereas previously raids had no time limit other than
the breathing capacity of the raider, the PKL rules introduced the concept of a standard 30-second time limit
for every raid

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How to Play Kabaddi :
Kabaddi is a popular, easy-to-learn team contact sport with its roots in the millennia-old history of ancient
India and South Asia. The basic rules of Kabaddi are simple: two teams of seven players each face off in a
large square arena for two halves of twenty minutes each. Players from each team take turns running across
the center line to the other team's half of the court, tagging members of the other team, and running back.
The more opposing team members they tag, the more points they score, but if the opposing team can
physically prevent them from crossing back to their side of the court, they score no points!

PART 1 : Setting Up
1. Play in a flat, rectangular arena 13 meters (42.7 ft) wide x 10 meters (32.8 ft) long.
• These are the official measurements for professional men's Kabaddi — if you're just playing
casually with friends, your play area doesn't need to be exactly this size. However, it should be flat,
open, and roughly rectangular.
• For women's Kabaddi, the court size is slightly smaller — 12 meters (39.4 ft) wide x 8 meters
(26.2 ft) long.

2.Use lines and markings to divide the court appropriately. The following are the official court markings as
specified for professional Kabaddi; again, if you're playing casually with friends, your markings don't need
to be exact.
• Boundary lines: The lines at the edge of the 13 meter x 10 meter court.
• Play area lines: These lines mark a 13 meter x 8 meter rectangular area inside the court — one
meter of space separates each side from the 10 meter boundary lines above.
• Mid line: This line divides the court into two 6.5 meters (21.3 ft) x 8 meter halves. Each team's
"territory" is the play area on its side of the mid line.

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 • Baulk lines: These lines run parallel to the mid line and are 3.75 meters (12.3 ft) from it on either
side.
• Bonus lines: These lines run parallel to the baulk lines and are 1 meter (3.3 ft) from them on the
side opposite the mid line
.

3. Divide into two teams of seven players each. Traditionally, four players from each team take each side
of the field, leaving each team with three players held in reserve. However, some variations of Kabaddi call
for all seven players to take the field at once.

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PART 2: Understanding the Basics

1. Flip a coin to decide which team will go first.

Any sort of random method for determining which team goes first is fair game — you can also try rolling
for the highest dice roll, guessing a number that a non-biased referee is thinking of, etc.

2. If your team goes first, send a "raider" across the mid line.
• In Kabaddi, teams take turns sending players (called "raiders") across the mid line to the other
team's side of the court. The raider tries to tag members of the other team and run back to his side
within 30 seconds — each player he touches equals one point for his team if he makes it back
safely.
• However, the raider must start repeatedly yelling "Kabaddi" before he crosses the mid line and
cannot stop repeating this word until he crosses back over to his team's side. If he stops yelling or
takes a breath on the opponent's side of the court, even momentarily, he must return to his own side
of the court, scoring no points. In this case, one point is awarded to the defending team for a
successful play.
• Each member of a team must raid in sequence — if a team member raids out of order, the opposing
team gets one point.

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3. If your team doesn't go first, defend
• If your team is being raided, you and the other three players in play are "anti-raiders" or "stoppers."
Your goal is to keep the raider from tagging you and crossing back over the midline. You can do
this either by running away from him until he runs out of breath or physically restraining him by
tackling or grabbing him.
• Note that a raider may not be grabbed or held by his clothes, hair, or any part of his body other than
his limbs and torso.

4.Take turns alternating between raiding and defending.

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• The two teams alternate between raiding and defending for two halves of twenty minutes each (with
a five minute break between halves.)
• After halftime, the two teams switch sides of the court.
• The team with the most points at the end of the game wins!

5. Send players out when they are tagged, captured, or break a rule. In Kabaddi, players can be
temporarily sent "out" of play for a variety of reasons. If this happens, they may not be replaced by
players in reserve — substitutions are only made for players who are not out. Below are a list of
circumstances in which a player may be sent out.
• If the raider tags any defending players and makes it back to his side, the players he tagged
are out.
• If a raider is captured and cannot pass back over the midline before he runs out of breath,
he is out.
• If any player (raiding or defending) steps outside the boundary lines, he is out (unless he
was deliberately pulled or shoved, in which case, the offending player is out.)
• If a team has three unproductive raids in a row, the third raider is out. An unproductive raid
occurs when a raider cannot score any points (or loses points) during a raid. However, if a
raider can cross the baulk line and return to his side of the court, the raid counts as a
successful one even if he doesn't tag anyone.
• If a defending team member enters the raider's side of the court before his team is officially
given the chance to raid, he is out.

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6. "Revive" players by getting an opponent out. Whenever your team gets a member of the opponent team
out, you have a chance to bring back (or "revive") someone on your team who has previously been ruled
out. This is true for both raiding and defending teams.
Players are revived in the order they were gotten out — bringing back players out of order results in a point
for the other team.

PART 3: Using Advanced Scoring Rules

1. Score a "Lona" by getting the entire other team out. If you can get the entire other team out at once
for any combination of reasons and none of their players are eligible for revival, your team scores
a "Lona" (two extra points for that play.)
• When this happens, the entire opposing team is revived.

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2. Score a "super tackle" by capturing the opponent with three or fewer defenders. If your team is
defending with less than three players and you still manage to prevent the raider from getting back
to his side of the court, you score an additional "super tackle" point.
• This point is on top of the point you get for getting the raider out, so you get two points in total for
the play.

3. Score points when your opponents break the game's rules. Most penalties in Kabaddi result in one
point being awarded to the opposing team. Below is a list of offenses that can earn the opposing
team points.
• If a raider says anything besides the pre-approved "Kabbadi" chant while he is raiding, the raid is
over and the defending team gets a point plus the chance to raid (but the raider is not out.)
• If the raider starts his chant late (in other words, after he crosses the mid line), the raid is over and
the defending team gets a point plus the chance to raid (but, again, the raider is not out.)
• If a raider goes out of order, the defending team gets a point and the raid is over.
• If more than one raider enter the opponent's court at once, the raid is over and the defending team
gets a point.
• If any defenders enter the raider's side of the court before it is their turn to raid, each defender that
does so earns a point for the other team.
• If, after a Lona, the wiped-out team doesn't return its revived players back to the field within ten
seconds, the opposing team earns one point.
• If the raider's teammates attempt to help him by calling out warnings or advice, the defending team
gets a point.

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 • If players deliberately get out in order to force a Lona and revive their team members, the opposing
team scores an extra point for each offending player that was on the field in addition to the two
Lona points.

Variations :
Standard style
In the international team version of kabaddi, two teams of seven members each occupy opposite halves of
a court of 10 by 13 metres (33 ft × 43 ft) in the case of men and 8 by 12 metres (26 ft × 39 ft) in the case of
women. Each has five supplementary players held in reserve for substitution. The game is played with 20-
minute halves with a 5-minute half time break in which the teams exchange sides. During each play, known
as a "raid", a player from the attacking side, known as the "raider", runs into the opposing team's side of the
court and attempts to tag as many of the seven defending players as possible. The raider must cross the
baulk line into the defending team's territory, and then return to their half of the field without being tackled.
(If an attacker touches a defender and hasn't yet reached the baulk line, they do not need to reach the baulk
line to score points and may return to their half of the court.) While raiding, the raider must loudly
chant kabaddi, confirming to referees that their raid is done on a single breath without inhaling. Each raid
has a 30-second time limit.
A point is scored for each defender tagged; tags can be made with any part of the raider's body and touching
any part of the defender's body. If the raider steps beyond the bonus line marked in the defending team's
territory when there are six or more players, they earn an additional point known as a bonus point (the bonus
point is only scored if the raider's trailing foot is in the air while they step over the line). If the raider is
successfully stopped (tackled), the opposite team earns a point instead. All players tagged or tackled are
taken out of the game, but one is "revived" for each point a team scores from a subsequent tag or tackle.
However, bonus points do not revive players. In addition, players who step out of the boundary are out.
However, the boundary of the field can vary mid-raid; there are two strips on either side of the court known
as "lobby areas" which only become part of the field of play in raids where the raider touches an opponent.
A raid where no points are scored by the raider is referred to as an "empty raid". By contrast, a play where
the raider scores three or more points is referred to as a "super raid". If a team gets all seven players on the
opposing team out ("All Out"), they earn two additional points and then all the opposition players are placed
back in the game.

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In the event of a tie, PKL rules stipulate (for playoff matches) that each team is to perform five raids on the
other team, with no time limits involved, no players being dismissed or revived, and the baulk line being
simultaneously treated as a bonus line.

Circle style
There are four major forms of Indian kabaddi recognised by the amateur federation. In Sanjeevani Kabaddi,
one player is revived against one player of the opposite team who is out. The game is played over 40 minutes
with a five-minute break between halves. There are seven players on each side and the team that outs all
the players on the opponent's side scores four extra points.
In Gaminee style, seven players play on each side and a player put out has to remain out until all his team
members are out. The team that is successful in outing all the players of the opponent's side secures a point.
The game continues until five or seven such points are secured and has no fixed time duration.
Amar style resembles the Sanjeevani form in the time frame rule, but a player who is declared out stays
inside the court while play continues. For every player of the opposition touched "out", a team earns a point.
Punjabi kabaddi is a variation that is played on a circular pitch of a diameter of 22 metres (72 ft).

Beach kabaddi
The Beach kabaddi variant is played in two 15-minute halves by two teams of four players who are not
allowed to wear shoes and is played on levelled ground of sand either on seas shore or river banks. It is
played at an international level in competitions such as the Asian Beach Games.

Indoor kabaddi
The Indoor kabaddi variant is played in two 15-minute halves by two teams of five players and is a shorter
variant of standard style kabaddi. It is played at an international level in competitions such as the Asian
Indoor and Material Arts Game.

Popularity :
Indian subcontinent
Kabaddi is a popular sport in the Indian subcontinent. The governing federation for kabaddi in India is the
Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), which was founded in 1973 and compiled a standard set of
rules. Kabaddi is the second-most popular sport in India, with the Pro Kabaddi League being watched by
hundreds of millions of people each year. The governing body for kabaddi in Pakistan is Pakistan Kabaddi
Federation.
In Bangladesh, Kabaddi is known with a different name called "Ha-du-du". Ha-du-du has no definite rules
and is played with different rules in different areas. Kabaddi is the national sport of Bangladesh, given
official status in 1972. The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of Bangladesh was formed in 1973.
Kabaddi is among the national sports of Nepal. Kabaddi is played and taught in most primary schools
beginning in about the third grade in most Nepali schools.

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Internationally
Kabaddi was also played by the British Army for fun, to keep fit and as an enticement to recruit soldiers
from the British Asian community. Kabaddi was brought to the United Kingdom by its South Asian
diaspora (Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani, Nepali and Sri Lankan immigrants.)
In the 21st century, South Korea is one of the fastest-rising nations in international kabaddi, having beaten
India in the opening match of the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. Major competitions

Major competitions :
International competitions
Kabaddi World Cup
The Kabaddi World Cup is an outdoor international standard style kabaddi competition conducted by the
International Kabaddi Federation (IKF), contested by men's and women's national teams. The competition
has been previously contested in 2004, 2007 and 2016. All the tournaments have been won by India. India
defeated Iran by 38–29 in the final of the championship game to clinch the title of 2016.
After the establishment of a new kabaddi organization named World Kabaddi Federation in 2005, a 2019
Kabaddi World Cup was held in April 2019 at Malacca, Malaysia. It was the largest world cup in kabaddi
history, consisting of 32 men's teams and 24 women's teams.

Junior World Kabaddi Championship

The inaugural Junior Kabaddi World Championship was held in Kish island, Iran, 11–14 November 2019.
It featured 13 teams. Iran won the tournament by defeating Kenya in the final, 42–22. Team India did not
participate in this tournament.

Asian Games
Kabaddi was played as a demonstration event at the First Asian Games in 1951, and again in 1982, before
becoming a medal event for the first time in 1990.
The Indian national team won every men's and women's kabaddi competition in the Asian Games from
2002 through 2014. At the 2018 Asian Games, Iran became the first country other than India to win gold
medals in kabaddi, with India's men's team winning bronze, and India's women's team being beaten by Iran
to win silver.

Asian Kabaddi Championship

AKC's tenth season was played in Gorgan, Iran, in 2017 in which India won its tenth gold by defeating
Pakistan in the finals.

South Asian Games

Kabaddi was introduced at the South Asian Games during the 1985 Games. There were no Kabaddi
tournaments in the inaugural 1984 edition. India is the most successful team.

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European Kabaddi Championship
The first edition of European Kabaddi Championship was held in Scotland in 2019. The final match was
between Poland and Holland, Poland won the tournament. Final score was Poland 47–27 Holland. The
second edition was held in Cyprus in 2021 which was organized by World Kabaddi Federation. Poland
retained their title by beating hosts Cyprus in the final, 29–15. Italy was set to host the third edition in
2022, but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, eventually happening in 2023. Poland beat
England in the final to retain their title.

Kabaddi Masters
The inaugural edition of the Kabaddi Masters was held in Dubai, 22–30 June 2018. It was the first
kabaddi tournament to be held in the UAE. It featured 6 teams. India won the tournament by defeating
Iran in the final with a scoreline of 44–26, with the Indian Defense outperforming the Iran Defense.

Domestic competitions
Pro Kabaddi League
The Pro Kabaddi League was established in 2014. The league modeled its business upon that of
the Indian Premier League of Twenty20 cricket, with a large focus on marketing, the backing of local
broadcaster Star Sports. The Pro Kabaddi League quickly became a ratings success on Indian television;
the 2014 season was watched by at least 435 million viewers over the course of the season, and the
inaugural championship match was seen by 98.6 million viewers.
Bengal Warriors, Bengaluru Bulls, Patna Pirates, Tamil Thalaivas, UP Yoddhas, Gujrat Giants, Haryana
Steelers, Puneri Paltan, U Mumba, Jaipur Pink Panthers, Dabang Delhi KC, and Telugu Titans are the 12
teams that play in the Pro Kabaddi League.
The organisers of the Pro Kabaddi League change the sport's rules and its presentation to make it more
suitable for a television audience. All players in the league must be strictly under 85 kg in weight. When
the raider scores 10 or more raid points in a single match, it is called a super 10, and they earn an extra
point. If the defender successfully manages to tackle the five raiders in a single game, it is a high 5, and
the team will be awarded one extra point.
Additional rules are used in the Pro Kabaddi League to encourage scoring: when a defensive side has
three or fewer players remaining, tackles are worth two points instead of one. Furthermore, if a team
performs two empty raids in a row, the next raider must score a point ("do-or-die raid"), or else they will
be declared out and the opposing team will score a point.

Indo International Premier Kabaddi League

The inaugural edition of the IIPKL was on 13 May 2019 at Pune, India. The title for the inaugural season
was won by the Bangalore Rhinos.

Super Kabaddi League

In May 2018, the Super Kabaddi League was first held in Pakistan, as part of a larger push to promote
renewed interest in the sport in Pakistan.

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Yuva Kabaddi Series
Yuva Kabaddi Series (YKS) is a franchise-based junior-category kabaddi tournament in India. It is for
players who are under 23 years old and below 80 kg (180 lb). The inaugural Yuva Kabaddi Series was
conducted in Jaipur in June 2022, and was broadcast on OTT platform FanCode. It is the second-largest
kabaddi tournament in India, and the largest tournament in India in terms of number of matches played
per year.
Four seasonal editions are held every year. Three tournaments were conducted in 2022: Summer Edition
in Jaipur, Monsoon Edition at Ranchi, and Winter Edition at Pondicherry; and two in 2023: the KMP
YKS in Maharashtra (which was won by Ahmednagar) and Summer Edition Mysore. For the first time in
the history of Indian kabaddi, players from the North East will be playing in a tournament of this stature.
Each edition is contested over several rounds, with teams eliminated in each round, and the Summit
Round acting as the playoffs of the tournament and leading to the final. Several players who started off in
YKS have gone on to play at higher levels of kabaddi competition, such as the Pro Kabaddi League
(through the New Young Player initiative) and the Junior Kabaddi World Cup.
Yuva Kabaddi Series was founded by uMumba CEO Suhail Chandhok and Vikas Kumar Gautam.

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What are the advantages and disadvantages of
Kabaddi
Advantages of Kabaddi
1. Improves physical fitness – Playing Kabaddi works out the whole body, making muscles stronger
and improving overall health.
2. Enhances teamwork skills – It teaches players to work together to win, building trust and
cooperation among team members.
3. Boosts agility and reflexes – The sport helps players become quicker and more responsive, as they
dodge opponents and make swift moves.
4. Develops strategic thinking – Kabaddi players learn to think ahead and make smart choices
quickly, which is good for the mind.
5. Requires minimal equipment – You don’t need much to play Kabaddi – just a simple uniform and
a playing area, making it easy to start a game anywhere.

Disadvantages of Kabaddi
1. High risk of injury – Kabaddi is a contact sport, which means players often tackle and block each
other, increasing the chance of sprains, fractures, and other injuries.
2. Limited global recognition – The game is not widely played or followed outside of certain regions,
leading to fewer international competitions and recognition.
3. Requires physical strength – Success in kabaddi demands high levels of physical fitness and
strength, which can exclude interested players who are not as physically strong.
4. No major leagues – Unlike sports such as soccer or basketball, kabaddi lacks major international
leagues, limiting opportunities for players to compete at higher levels.
5. Less commercial investment – With less interest from global markets, kabaddi attracts fewer
sponsorships and investments compared to more popular sports, affecting its growth and
professional development.

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