The latest season of the Pro Kabaddi League has just gotten underway. The 9th season of the marquee Kabaddi tournament promises to be a belter. However, to understand the Pro Kabaddi League’s dynamics, you need to understand the PKL rules.
Before you call me out for assuming that you don’t know Kabaddi Rules, hear me out.
Yes, Pro Kabaddi follows the game’s basic rules where an offender (raider) is supposed to run out at defenders and score points by means of touch and bonuses.
But some new rules are implemented in this game format to make it more vivid and joyful. While adhering to the basics of the game, we all grew to love in our childhood.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the different rules and terms of the Pro Kabaddi League.
PKL Rules
Kabaddi is an Indian game that young kids very often play in schools and their localities. It has several varieties of rules on offer in every region where it is played.
Hence, the kabaddi association of India decided to unify all of them and develop rules that would be standard and followed everywhere in the world. These are the rules used in Pro Kabaddi League. Below is a list of general rules in Kabaddi.
General Rules in Kabaddi
- Kabaddi is played between two teams consisting of 7 players on the bench. However, more players can be on the bench (like football). They are called substitutes.
- The game’s only objective is to score more points than your opposition before the clock runs out.
- There are two aspects of the game of Kabaddi: attack and defense.
- The attackers, also known as raiders, are supposed to enter the opposition’s half in search of touchpoints or bonuses (if available).
- Defending team or defenders are supposed to nab a raider before he escapes to clinch a point. However, this bonus point shall stand even if the raider is nabbed.
- Revival: Unlike cricket, players who get out in Kabaddi can be revived by getting your opposition’s played out. Hence, all out in Kabaddi means the entire team returns to the playing mat again.
- The Kabaddi game is of 40 minutes divided into two halves of 20 minutes each. To win a game, a team has to have more cumulative points than their opponents.
Now these were general rules. The Rules of the Pro Kabaddi League are different. Hence, let’s dive deeper to understand them better. We can divide them into raiding rules and defending rules.
Main Rules of Kabaddi
How Many players play in a Kabaddi game?
The first and the most preliminary rule of Kabaddi is that every team needs to have a minimum and maximum of seven players on the mat. Meaning that a total of 14 players can partake in the game. However, there is a rule of rolling substitution which allows more players to enter the game.
How many halves are there in Kabaddi?
Kabaddi, just like football, is a game of two halves. Each half of this game lasts a total of 20 minutes. And the break between the two halves is of five minutes, during which the teams change court. The team that scores most points over the course of the two halves is declared winner.
How are points scored in Kabaddi?
Scoring points is simple in Kabaddi. For there are two different scenarios in which a team can score points. One is attacking, in which an attacker, aka raider enters the opposition half full of defenders. Now, to score a point, the raider needs to touch an opposition and return to his own court before the time runs out.
In case, the raider is captured by the defenders, they are awarded a point. And in this manner, both the teams can score a point, at any given time of the game.
Kabaddi Rules During Gameplay
What is the Balk Line rule in PKL?
A Raid is only considered valid in the Pro Kabaddi League or any format of Kabaddi if the raider has crossed the balkline or claimed a touchpoint. He will be deemed out if the raider fails to do either of the two before returning.
30-second-raiding PKL rules
Everything starts with a raid in Kabaddi. A raid is the act of an offender entering the opposition’s court in search of points. Here, the defending team catches the offender or raider to score the point instead.
Now local kabaddi rules ask a player to continue his raid as long as he keeps chanting “kabaddi Kabaddi.” This rule was tweaked in the PKL to make the game more competitive.
According to PKL rules, a raider is allotted only 30 seconds to perform a raid. He has to claim a touch or take a bonus (if available). Although, an empty raid can also be performed if taking a point is impossible.
However, only two empty raids in a row are allowed. A third empty raid will mean that the offender is out; this third raid is called a do-or-die raid. More about it in the next point.
Do-or-die raid PKL Rules
To make the game more complex and competitive, the PKL introduced the rule of do-or-die raids. In this rule, a raider can only have 2 empty raids in which they don’t manage to pick a point.
After this, they are supposed to pick up a point in their third raid. Otherwise, they will be ruled out, and the opposite team will be awarded the points.
Lobby Rule in PKL
There are two lobbies on a kabaddi mat. And a player is only allowed to enter them after touching their opponents. If players: raiders, or defenders, enter them before touching their opposition, they are deemed out, and a point is rewarded to the other team.
However, if players of both teams enter the lobby without a touch, both of them will have to leave the mat, and either team will be awarded points.
Bonus Point while raiding
Apart from the touch, the raider can also gather points by crossing the bonus line on the mat. It is the second line right behind the Baulk line and is activated when 6 or more defenders are on the mat.
The raiders are required to cross the bonus line and simultaneously have their other foot in the air while crossing the line. If the other foot of the raider is not in the air, or they don’t clearly cross the line, the bonus shall not be awarded.
Important Terms in Pro Kabaddi League
While there are a lot of new terms introduced in Kabaddi due to the emergence of PKL, there are some terms that have gained more traction than others. These terms are Super Raid, Super Tackle, Supre 10, and High Five.
So, let’s begin with understanding what these terms mean in context of the rules of the Pro Kabaddi League.
What is a Super Raid in kabaddi?
Raiders are the heart and soul of Kabaddi. Their acrobatic abilities, breathtaking escapes, and excruciating skills on the mat are what make the game magical. Hence, the PKL decided to award their efforts and call it s super raid whenever a rider picked up three or more points in a single raid.
It can be three touch points, a combination of touch and bonus. The raider has to pick up 3 points by any combination.
What is a Super Tackle in kabaddi?
It goes without saying that a super tackle includes the defending side capturing a raider, which is a challenging task at all. As mentioned earlier, the Raiders have grown a lot over the years.
But so have defenders, and they too have their techniques like ankle hold, knee hold, and dash to ensure a raider doesn’t escape.
So, these are the different forms of tackles.
A super tackle, however, only comes into question when there are three or fewer defenders on a mat. With fewer players on the court, if the defending team captures the opponent, it’s called a super raid.
And the Defenders are awarded two instead of 1 point for their capture of the raider.
What is a Super 10 in PKL
Like there are fifty and hundred in cricket, there are also milestones in Kabaddi. And obviously, they differ for raiders and defenders.
So, Super 10 is a milestone for a raider. And as the number suggests, a raider is said to have achieved a super 10 when he picks up 10 points in a single match.
What is a High 5 in PKL
Similar to what the Raiders have in Super 10s, High five is for defenders. So, it is a milestone for a defender who picks up five tackle points in defense, which in itself is a great feat.
