Kabaddi in India

Kabaddi in India
Country India
Governing bodyAmateur Kabaddi Federation of India
National team(s)India men's national kabaddi team
India women's national kabaddi team
Club competitions
Pro Kabaddi League (2014–present)

Kabaddi, is a contact sport, native to the Indian subcontinent.[1] It is one of the most popular sports in India, played mainly among village people.[2] India has taken part in four Asian Games in kabaddi, and won gold in all.

Four forms of kabaddi played in India are Amar, Suranjeevi, huttuttoo, and Gaminee. Amar is generally played in Punjab, Haryana, the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world, mostly by Punjabi sportsmen. Suranjeevi is the most played form of kabaddi in India and the world. This is the form used in international matches generally and played in Asian Games. Huttuttoo was played by men in Maharashtra. 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.

History and development

People playing Kabaddi at the Veraval beach, Gujarat


Kabaddi is a sport developed centered on Jallikattu. It was common among the Ayar tribal people who lived in the Mullai geographical region of ancient Tamil Nadu.[3][4][5] 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 Sadugudu was practiced for ages. There are also accounts of Gautam Buddha having played the game recreationally.[1][6] There is another version to this sports origins and rich history, Legend has it that kabaddi originated in Tamil Nadu over 4,000 years ago.[7]

The game was said to have been popular among the Yadava people. An Abhang by Tukaram stated that the lord Krishna played the game in his youth.


Modern kabaddi is a synthesis of the game played in various forms under different names. Kabaddi received international exposure during the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The game was introduced in the Indian Olympic Games at Calcutta in 1938.

In 1950 the All India Kabaddi Federation came into existence and compiled standard rules. The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) was founded in 1973. After formation of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India, the first men's nationals were held in Tamil Nadu (Madras) (renamed Chennai), while the women's were in AKFI has given new shape to the rules.

The Asian Kabaddi Federation (AKF) was founded under the chairmanship of kabaddi.

In 1979, a return test between Bangladesh and India was held at different places of India including Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Punjab. The Asian Kabaddi Championship was arranged in 1980 and India emerged as champion and Bangladesh runner-up. Bangladesh became runner-up again in 1985 in the Asian Kabaddi Championship held in Jaipur, India. The other teams in the tournament were Nepal, Malaysia and Japan. The game was included for the first time in the Asian Games in Beijing in 1990. India, China, Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh took part. India won the gold medal and has also won gold at the following six Asian Games in Hiroshima in 1994, Bangkok in 1998, Busan in 2002, Doha in 2006 and Guangzhou in 2010.

An attempt to popularise kabaddi in Great Britain was carried out by Channel 4, who commissioned a programme dedicated to the sport. The programme, kabaddi in the early 1990s, however, failed to capture viewer attention despite fixtures such as West Bengal Police versus the Punjab. Kabaddi was axed in 1992. Alt-rock band The Cooper Temple Clause formed a kabbadi team in 2001 and were, at one stage, ranked seventh in the British domestic standings.[10] [better source needed]

In the 1998 Asian games held at Bangkok (Thailand), the Indian kabaddi team clinched the gold medal. The chief coach of the team was former kabaddi player and coach Flt. Lt. S P Singh.

In a major upset, seven-time gold medalist India suffered their first-ever loss in 28 years at the 2018 Asian Games to South Korea in the men's Kabaddi group A game.[8] In the semi-final, Iran sent the seven-time Asiad champions packing with a 27–18 win. India, who took home the bronze for reaching the semi-finals, did not play in the final since the introduction of the Games in the Asiad in 1990 at Beijing.[9]

Variation

Standard style

In the international team version of kabaddi, two teams of seven members each occupy opposite halves of a field 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 halftime break during which the teams exchange sides. During each raid, a player from the attacking side—known as the "raider"—runs into the opposing team's side of the field 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 chant the word "kabaddi", confirming to referees that their raid is done on a single rhythm. A 30-second shot clock is also enforced on each raid.

A point is scored for each defender tagged, and a point can also be scored if the raider can step into the area past the territory's bonus line. 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 bounds 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, an "All Out" is scored for two bonus points, and they are automatically revived.

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 his/her raid or else he/she will be out ("do-or-die raid"). Additionally, when a defending team has less than four players left on the field, tackles are worth 2 points ("super tackle").[10][11][12][13]

Circle style

Circle Kabaddi

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 – one 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.[14] Punjabi kabaddi is a variation that is played on a circular pitch of a radius of 22 metres (72 ft).[15]

International competitions

Note that all of the following competitions are played in standard style.

Kabaddi World Cup

The second Kabaddi World Cup tournament was held in 2007 with India winning over Iran in the final round.[citation needed] The Punjab government organised a Circle Style 2010 Kabaddi World Cup from 3 to 12 April 2010. On 12 April 2010 Indian team emerged as the winner after beating Pakistan in the finals. The opening match of the tournament was held in Patiala while the closing ceremony took place in Ludhiana. India won the first edition of the Circle Style Kabaddi World Cup, beating rival Pakistan in a 58–24 victory. The final of this 10-day tournament was played at Guru Nanak Stadium. [citation needed]

Pro kabaddi league

Pro kabaddi league was introduced in 2014 in India based on Indian premier league. The first edition of the tournament had begun at 26 July 2014 with eight franchises based at eight different cities in India consisting of players from all over the world. The Jaipur Pink Panthers is owned by Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan who said he wants to promote kabaddi. The other teams are the U Mumba based at Mumbai, the Bengaluru Bulls, the Delhi Dabbangs, the Puneri Paltans, the Telugu Titans based at Vizag, the Bengal Warriors based at Kolkata and the Patna Pirates based at Patna, Bihar. Among all seasons, Patna Pirates is the most successful team with three times title winner while U Mumba and Jaipur Pink Panthers shares 1-1 title.

The organisers have added four new teams in the PKL season 5, 2017: the Haryana Steelers, the Tamil Thalaivas from Tamil Nadu, the Gujarat Giants, and the UP Yoddha.

The opening match was held at Mumbai where Amitabh Bachchan was found cheering for his son's team. Aishwarya Rai was also present with Abhishek Bachchan. Together with them Bollywood stars Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Sunil Shetty, Sonali Bendre, Farah Khan, Boman Irani and producer Ronnie Screwvala cheering for his team Jaipur Pink Panthers were present at the stadium.

Indian star cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was present with his wife and daughter who said he enjoyed the speed, agility, and strength of the players of the sport very much.

Rakesh Kumar the captain of the Indian kabaddi team who has received an Arjuna Award and also the captain of Patna Pirates was also present at the inaugural matches who said it is a pleasure to see kabaddi getting recognition through the tournament.

Rakesh Kumar was the highest bought player in the auction by Patna pirates for 12.80 lakhs held before the tournament.

The broadcast rights were won by the Star Sports network.

Domestic Competitions

  • Kabaddi nationals

The Kabaddi Senior Nationals is the pre-eminent tournament conducted by AKFI to promote the sport of kabaddi within India. In 2019 the 66th Edition of the tournament is being conducted in Roha, Raigad, with 31 teams competing.[16]

  • Federation Cup
  • Telangana Premier Kabaddi League[17][18]

Performance By India national team in International competitions

Men's team

India national kabaddi team represents India in international kabaddi and India national kabaddi team competitions.[19] India won gold medals at Asian Games in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. The 2018 edition is Indian Team's not winning the gold medal first time.

World Cup (Standard Style)

India has won three Kabaddi world cups till now. All the world cups were held in India.[20][21]

Year Host Final
Winner Score Runner-up
2004

details

IndiaMumbai & Chennai, India
India
55–27
Iran
2007

details

IndiaNavi Mumbai, India
India
29–19
Iran
2016

details

IndiaAhmedabad, India
India
38–29
Iran

World Cup (Circle Style)

India has won six Kabaddi world cups out of seven played till now.

Year Host Final Third place match
Winner Score Runner-up 3rd place Score 4th place
2010

details

IndiaPunjab, India
India
58–24
Pakistan

Canada
66–22
Italy
2011

details

IndiaPunjab, India
India
59–25
Canada

Pakistan
60–22
Italy
2012

details

IndiaPunjab, India
India
59–25
Pakistan

Canada
51–35
Iran
2013

details

IndiaPunjab, India
India
48–39
Pakistan

United States
62–27
England
2014

details

IndiaPunjab, India
India
45–42
Pakistan

Iran
48–31
England
2016

details

IndiaPunjab, India
India
62–20
England

United States
43–39
Iran
2020

details

IndiaPunjab, India
India
43–41
India

Iran
54-33 Australia Australia

Asian Games

Year Host Final Third place match
Winner Score Runner-up 3rd place Score 4th place
1990
Details
China
Beijing
India
India

Bangladesh

Pakistan

Japan
1994
Details
Japan
Hiroshima
India
India

Bangladesh

Pakistan

Japan
1998
Details
Thailand
Bangkok
India
India
No playoffs
Pakistan

Bangladesh
No playoffs
Sri Lanka
2002
Details
South Korea
Busan
India
India
No playoffs
Bangladesh

Pakistan
No playoffs
Japan
2006
Details
Qatar
Doha
India
India
35–23
Pakistan

Bangladesh
37–26
Iran
2010
Details
China
Guangzhou
India
India
37–20
Iran

Pakistan
No playoffs
Japan
2014
Details
South Korea
Incheon
India
India
27–25
Iran

Pakistan
No playoffs
South Korea
2018
Details
Indonesia

JakartaPalembang


Iran
26-16 South Korea
South Korea

India
No playoffs
Pakistan
2022
Details
China
Hangzhou
India
India
33–29
Iran

Pakistan
No playoffs
Chinese Taipei

Asian Indoor games

Year Host Final Third place
Gold Score Silver Bronze Bronze
2007
Details
Macau
Macau
India
India
35–17
Pakistan

Bangladesh

Iran
2009
Details
Vietnam
Hanoi
India
India
57–33
Iran

Bangladesh

Sri Lanka

South Asian Games

India is very strong in Kabaddi as these results show. India won 10 gold medals out of a possible 11 until the 2019 South Asian Games.

Year Winner Runner-up 3rd Place
1985
Details
India
India

Bangladesh

Pakistan
1987
Details
India
India

Bangladesh

Pakistan
1989
Details
India
India

Pakistan

Bangladesh
1993
Details
India
India

Pakistan

Bangladesh
1995
Details
India
India

Bangladesh

Pakistan
1999
Details
India
India

Pakistan

Sri Lanka
2004
Details
India
India

Pakistan

Bangladesh
2006
Details
India
India

Pakistan

Bangladesh
2010
Details
India
India

Pakistan
 Bangladesh
   Nepal
2016
Details
India
India

Pakistan
 Bangladesh
 Sri Lanka
2019
Details
India
India

Sri Lanka
 Pakistan
 Bangladesh

Women's team

India women's national kabaddi team represents India in international women's kabaddi events.[22]

World Cup

Year Host Final
Winner Score Runner-up
2012

details

IndiaPatna, India
India
25–19
Iran
2013

details

IndiaPunjab, India
India
49–21
New Zealand
2014

details

IndiaPunjab, India
India
36–27
New Zealand

Asian Games

Year Host Final Third place
Winner Score Runner-up
2010
Details
China
Guangzhou
India
India
28–14 Thailand
Thailand
Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Iran
Iran
2014
Details
South Korea
Incheon
India
India
31–21 Iran
Iran
Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Thailand
Thailand
2018
Details
Indonesia
JakartaPalembang
India
India
27-24 Iran
Iran
Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei
Thailand
Thailand
2022
Details
China
Hangzhou
India
India
26-25 Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei
Iran
Iran
Nepal
Nepal

Federation

India

The Kabaddi Federation of India (KFI) was founded in 1950, and it compiled a standard set of rules. The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) was founded in 1973. The AKFI has given new shape to the rules and it has also the rights of modification in the rules. The Asian Kabaddi Federation was founded under the chairmanship of Sharad Pawar.

The Governing body of Kabaddi in Asia is the Asian Kabaddi Federation (AKF) headed by Mr. Janardan Singh Gehlot. AKF is affiliated to the Olympic Council of Asia.

The parent body to regulate the game at the international level is the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF). India won the world cup in December 2013 by defeating Pakistan in finals at Punjab. In 2016 India had won world cup finals by defeating Iran.

List of National Sports award recipients in Kabaddi, showing the year, award, and gender

Year Recipient Award Gender
1972 S. M. Shetty Arjuna Award Male
1973 Bhola Nath Guin Arjuna Award Male
1978–1979 S. P. Khatavkar Arjuna Award Female
1980–1981 Shantaram Jadhav Arjuna Award Male
1981 Monika Nath Arjuna Award Female
1983 Maya Kashinath Arjuna Award Female
1986 Rama Sarkar Arjuna Award Female
1990 Hardeep Singh Arjuna Award Male
1994 Subbiah Rajaratnam Arjuna Award Male
1994 Ashok D. Shinde Arjuna Award Male
1995 P. Ganesan Arjuna Award Male
1996 Shriram Bhavsar Arjuna Award Male
1996 Neta Moreshwar Dadwe Arjuna Award Female
1997 Randhir Singh Arjuna Award Male
1998 Ashan Kumar Arjuna Award Male
1998 Biswajit Palit Arjuna Award Male
1999 Tirath Raj + Arjuna Award Male
1999 Balwinder Singh + Arjuna Award Male
2000 C. Honappa Arjuna Award Male
2001 B. C. Ramesh Arjuna Award Male
2002 Ram Mehar Singh Arjuna Award Male
2003 Sanjeev Kumar Arjuna Award Male
2004 Sunder Singh Arjuna Award Male
2005 Ramesh Kumar Arjuna Award Male
2006 Navneet Gautam Arjuna Award Male
2009 Pankaj Navnath Shirsat Arjuna Award Male
2010 Dinesh Kumar Arjuna Award Male
2011 Rakesh Kumar Arjuna Award Male
2011 Tejaswini Bai V. Arjuna Award Female
2012 Anup Kumar Arjuna Award Male
2014 Mamatha Poojary Arjuna Award Female
2015 Manjeet Chhillar Arjuna Award Male
2015 Abhilasha Mhatre Arjuna Award Female
2017 Jasvir Singh Arjuna Award Male
2019 Ajay Thakur Arjuna Award Male
2020 Deepak Niwas Hooda Arjuna Award Male
2021 Sandeep Narwal Arjuna Award Male
2022 Sakshi Kumari Arjuna Award Female
2007 Shamsher Singh Dhyan Chand Award Male
2020 Manpreet Singh Dhyan Chand Award Male
2021 Vikas Kumar Dhyan Chand Award Male
2022 B.C. Suresh Dhyan Chand Award Male
2019 Rambir Singh Khokar + Dronacharya Award Male
2020 Krishan Kumar Hooda + Dronacharya Award Male
2021 Ashan Kumar + Dronacharya Award Male
2002 E. Prasad Rao Dronacharya Award Male
2005 Balwan Singh Dronacharya Award Male
2012 Sunil Dabas Dronacharya Award Female
2017 Heera Nand Kataria Dronacharya Award Male
Key
   + Indicates a Lifetime contribution honour

Films about kabaddi

Pop culture references In the 1993 movie Little Buddha in which Keanu Reeves plays the Siddhartha Gautama, a game of kabbadi is depicted.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Sen, Ronojoy (27 October 2015). Nation at Play: A History of Sport in India. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-53993-7.
  2. ^ S, Akila; Chinnadurai, D. (2017). "Traditional Kabaddi Vs Techno Kabaddi". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3417056. ISSN 1556-5068. S2CID 226957448.
  3. ^ "Kabaddi: Origins, History, And How It Became India's Fastest Growing Sport". www.casino.org. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  4. ^ "'ஜல்லிக்கட்டு' ஆன 'சல்லிக்கட்டு'... தொன்மையும்‌ வரலாறும்‌ - ஒரு பார்வை". www.puthiyathalaimurai.com. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  5. ^ "ஈராயிரம் ஆண்டுகளைக் கடந்து தமிழர் வாழ்வில் அங்கமாக திகழும் ஜல்லிக்கட்டு - வரலாறு என்ன?". www.tamil.news18.com. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  6. ^ Hoque, Shishir (December 14, 2016). "A tale of kabaddi, Bangladesh's national sport". Dhaka Tribune it was started by sidra. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  7. ^ "History of Kabbadi - Pro Kabbadi League Success Story & Song - Star India". www.disneystar.com. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  8. ^ "KABADDI: INDIA SUFFER SHOCK DEFEAT TO KOREA - The Times Of India - Delhi, 2018-08-21". Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  9. ^ "Asian Games: Kings of kabaddi get rude Iranian lesson - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  10. ^ "Rules of Kabaddi". International Kabaddi Federation (IKF). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  11. ^ "Kabaddi World Cup 2016: A handy guide to the format, rules and how the sport works". Firstpost. 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
  12. ^ "Kabaddi 101: Raid, defend, revive, repeat". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
  13. ^ "Everything you need to know about Kabaddi". The Indian Express. 2016-01-30. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
  14. ^ "Kabaddi In India: Origins, success and current pitiable state". Sportskeeda.com. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  15. ^ Kissa 2 Kabaddi da. Sarwan Singh Sangam Publications. 2014. ISBN 978-93-83654-65-9.
  16. ^ "Roha Raigad all set to host the 66th Senior Nationals Kabaddi". Kabaddi Adda. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  17. ^ "Telangana premier kabaddi | Telanganapremierkabaddi.com". telanganapremierkabaddi.com. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  18. ^ "Silly Monks buys Telangana Premier Kabaddi League". Kabaddi Adda. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  19. ^ India national kabaddi team
  20. ^ "Welcome to International Kabaddi Federation". Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2011-06-10. | World Cup 2007
  21. ^ "Welcome to International Kabaddi Federation". Archived from the original on 2011-12-04. Retrieved 2011-11-22. | World Cup 2004
  22. ^ India women's national kabaddi team