Kabaddi

This game is known by numerous names in different parts of the Indian subcontinent, such as: kabaddi or cheduguda in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana; kabaddi in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala; kabaddi, komonti or ha-gu-da in West Bengal and Bangladesh; baibalaa in Maldives, kauddi-kauddi in Sindh, kabaddi in the Punjab region; hu-tu-tu in Western India, ha-do-do in Eastern India; 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. ==History==

Ancient era Ronojoy Sen speculates in his book Nation At Play that kabaddi originated during the Vedic period (between 1500 BC and 500 BC). 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. Modern era against India, showcasing the rise of the sport outside of South Asia. 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 organised competitions occurring in the 1920s, their introduction to the programme of the National Games of India in 1938, the establishment of the All-India Kabaddi Federation in 1950, for legitimate international competition. One of the earliest modern tournaments of the sport, the All India Kabaddi Tournament in 1923, was played according to these amended rules. The advent of the Pro Kabaddi League (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. ==Variations==

Standard style In the international team version of kabaddi, two teams of seven members each occupy opposite halves of a court of in the case of men and in the case of women. While raiding, the raider must loudly chant kabaddi, confirming to referees that the raid is completed 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 by 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 opposing 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. Styles of Indian kabaddi There are four major forms of Indian kabaddi recognised by some amateur federation. 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 Martial Arts Games. == Governance ==

International kabaddi organisations An international governing body called the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) has been established for the sport. Another kabaddi organisation named the World Kabaddi Federation was founded in 2003 and formally incorporated in 2005. A different organisation called World Kabaddi was founded in 2018. It held its own Kabaddi World Cup competition in 2019 in Malacca, Malaysia, followed by its 2025 Kabaddi World Cup event in March 2025 in West Midlands, England. ==Major competitions==

International competitions IKF Kabaddi World Cup The Kabaddi World Cup is an outdoor international standard style kabaddi competition conducted by the IKF, contested by national teams. In 2024, it announced a plan to hold a 2025 Kabaddi World Cup in India in January 2025. The IKF men's competition has been previously contested in 2004, 2007 and 2016. All three of these tournaments were held in India and were won by India, and all had Iran as runner-up. To clinch the title in 2016, India defeated Iran by 38–29 in the final of the championship game. The IKF has also held one women's World Cup event. It was held in 2012 in India. It was also won by India. Junior Kabaddi World Cup The inaugural Kabaddi World Cup organised by the IKF 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, 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 European Kabaddi Championship The first edition of European Kabaddi Championship was held in Scotland in 2019. The final match was between Poland and Holland, with Poland winning 47–27. The second edition was held in Cyprus in 2021 and organised by the 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 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. 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. 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 . 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. Nepal Kabaddi League ==Popularity==

Indian subcontinent being played on the coast of Gujarat 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. Nepal 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. From 2025, Nepal Kabaddi League has begun as the fourth sports franchise league ever been established after Cricket, Football and Volleyball. It is the benchmark in the history of sports in Nepal which has been organised by Astrionix Management. The inaugural season features top international players from Thailand, Kenya, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The women's national Kabaddi team of Nepal won the historic bronze medal in the 19th Asian Games. 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. ==See also==