Kabaddi

Standard style

The kabaddi court

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 case of men and 8 by 12 metres (26 ft × 39 ft) in case of women. Each has three supplementary players held in reserve. The game is played with 20-minute halves, with a 5-minute half 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. For a raid to be eligible for points, the raider must cross the baulk line in the defending team's territory, and return to their half of the field without being tackled. Whilst doing so, the raider must also loudly chant the word "kabaddi", confirming to referees that their raid is done on a single breath without inhaling. A 30-second shot clock is also enforced on each raid.

A point is scored for each defender tagged. If the raider steps beyond the bonus line marked in the defending team's territory, they earn an additional point. If the raider is successfully stopped, the opposing team earns a point instead. All players tagged are taken out of the game, but one is "revived" for each point a team scores from a subsequent tag or tackle (bonus points do not revive players). Players who step out of the boundary or lobbies are also out. 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 at once ("All Out"), they earn three additional points, and the players are placed back in the game.

Additional rules are used in the Pro Kabaddi League; if a team has two empty raids in a row, the next raider must score a point on their next raid or else they will be out ("do-or-die raid"). Additionally, when a defending team has fewer than four players left on the field, tackles are worth 2 points ("super tackle").^{[7][8][9][10]}

Circle Style

Circle Kabaddi

There are four major forms of kabaddi played in India which are 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 min with a 5 min 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 either side and a player put out has to remain out until all his team members are out. The team that is successful in ousting 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 doesn’t leave the court, but instead stays inside, and the play goes along. For every player of the opposition touched “out”, a team earns a point.^[11] Punjabi kabaddi is a variation that is played on a circular pitch of a diameter of 22 metres (72 ft).^[12]

Kabaddi World Cup

The standard style Kabaddi World Cup is an outdoor international 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.

Asian Games

Pictogram of kabaddi

Kabaddi has been played at the Asian Games since 1990. The Indian team has won all seven Gold medals, with Bangladesh being second most successful at the game.

Pro Kabaddi League

The Pro Kabaddi 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, and changes to the sport’s rules and its presentation to make it more suitable for a television audience.^[13] 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 86.4 million viewers.^[14][15]

Neo Kabaddi League

Main article: Neo Kabaddi League

An Indian 1st Junior & 2nd Biggest professional Kabaddi tournament.

With the moto to develop rural sports of the country “Neo Kabaddi League” is all set to hold the event this year. NKL shall additionally, propel the reputation of the game, encourage the skilled players of the different states, making the game a popular one.

Super Kabaddi League

The Super Kabaddi League is a professional standard style kabaddi league in Pakistan. It was established in 2018, with 10 clubs based on city franchise structure. SKL boasts as being the second biggest kabaddi league in the world. Its first season was a resounding success.^[16]

Women’s Kabaddi Challenge

Women’s Kabaddi Challenge is a Kabaddi league in India started like Pro Kabaddi League for women’s. Three teams took part in the inaugural season in 2016 and the league was played across seven cities in India.

The first season was played in 2016, from 28 June to 31 July and was broadcast by Star Sports in India. The final was scheduled along with men’s version on 31 July.

Final was conducted between Storm Queen and Fire Birds. Storm Queens produced a last-second turnaround to defeat Fire Birds 24-23 in the final.

A Kabaddi match at 2006 Asian Games.

Asian Kabaddi Championship

AKC's tenth season was played in Gorgan, Iran in 2017 in which India won 10th gold by defeating Pakistan in the finals.

Kabaddi Masters

The inaugural edition of the Kabaddi Masters was held in Dubai from 22nd to 30th 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.