Kabaddi rules, history and interesting facts: India's own game
Kabaddi rules made simple — seven players, the raider's single breath, the bonus line, all-outs and super tackles — plus India's Asian Games record and Pro Kabaddi.
Rohit Tandon · 18 October 2026 · 4 min read
Kabaddi has travelled from the soil of India's villages to television screens and big stadiums — it is India's very own game. It needs no bat and no ball, only strength, agility, breath control and teamwork. Here are the kabaddi rules in simple words, along with the game's history and a few interesting facts.
How is kabaddi played?
Kabaddi has two teams, and each sends 7 players onto the court (from a squad of up to 12). A player from one team, called the raider, goes into the opponents' half and, chanting "kabaddi-kabaddi", tries to touch the opposing players and get back to his own half. The players of the other team, called defenders, try to catch him and stop him. Under the old rule a raider had to make the whole raid in a single breath; in professional leagues a raid is now limited to 30 seconds.
The main rules of kabaddi
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Court | About 13 m × 10 m for men; a little smaller for women |
| Time | Two halves of 20 minutes each, with a short break |
| Raid points | The raider earns a point for each defender he touches before returning safely |
| Tackle points | If the defenders catch and stop the raider, they earn 1 point |
| Bonus line | With 6 or more defenders on court, a raider who crosses the bonus line earns 1 extra point |
| All-out (lona) | If all of a team's players are out, the other side gets 2 extra points |
| Super tackle | If 3 or fewer defenders stop the raider, they get 1 extra point |
| Revival | For every point scored, one teammate who is out comes back onto the court |
The history of kabaddi
Kabaddi is thought to be a native game thousands of years old, played under different names in different regions — "hu-tu-tu" in Maharashtra, "chedugudu" in Andhra Pradesh, "ha-du-du" in Bengal and "sadugudu" in Tamil Nadu. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics Indian players gave a demonstration of it. In 1973 the "Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India" was formed, which made the rules uniform.
Did you know? Kabaddi is the national game of Bangladesh. In India it is the most popular game in the villages and schools of many states, because it needs no expensive equipment.
India's dominance at the Asian Games
- Kabaddi joined the Asian Games at Beijing in 1990, and the Indian men's team won seven golds in a row from 1990 to 2014.
- In 2018 Iran won gold in both the men's and the women's events.
- At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games (held in 2023), India won back both the men's and the women's golds.
- Women's kabaddi has been at the Asian Games since 2010, and India also won gold in 2010 and 2014.
The Pro Kabaddi League
The "Pro Kabaddi League", which began in 2014, gave the game a new identity. Thanks to colourful mats, faster rules, television coverage and big audiences, kabaddi is now counted among the most-watched sports in India after cricket. Many players from villages became famous across the country through the league. Read about India's achievements in other sports in India's Olympic medals.
Key points
- In kabaddi each team has 7 players on court.
- The raider chants "kabaddi-kabaddi", touches opponents and returns.
- When all of a team's players are out, the other side gets 2 extra points (lona).
- Kabaddi has been at the Asian Games since 1990; India won both golds in 2022.
- Kabaddi is the national game of Bangladesh.
Frequently asked questions
How many players are there in a kabaddi team?
7 players on court, and up to 12 in the full squad.
When is a bonus point given in kabaddi?
When there are 6 or more defenders in the opponents' half and the raider crosses the bonus line and returns safely.
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Sources
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