Only a few things are worth holding your breath for — If you’re trying to fit in a sweaty, crowded bus, or waiting for the salary hike, and then of course when you’re trying to outrun your opponents in a game of Kabaddi.
The duration of the match is 40 minutes with a 5 minutes break after 20 minutes.
It’s all About the Speed
The basic rules of traditional Kabaddi and the Pro Kabaddi League are similar, except for a few tweaks, which allow for a faster gameplay. For example, in Pro Kabaddi, a raider has to go out and score within 30 seconds.
Each playing team shall consist of 7 Players on the field. In Pro Kabaddi League, each team is required to have 2 'firang’ players in their playing team as part of the team.
Can You ‘Cant’?
The ‘kabaddi kabaddi’ chant is called ‘Cant’. Saying it without a break or a breath is crucial, and a player must keep chanting the cant until returning to their side on the field. You can? Well, Rajini-cant, mind it!
No, not that easy. It’s more like this:
A raider – the player going to the opponent’s side – must start his cant before he touches the opponent’s side. If the cant starts late, the player shall be declared out by the referee and the opponents will be awarded one point and the chance to raid.
Tackle Shackle Haaye Rabba
The raider has to enter the opponent’s – the defenders – side of the field, touch to tag the defenders and return successfully to his side. And of course, people hate getting tagged, whether on Facebook or field. So, ye risk nahin aasaan.
Well, technically yes.
Apparently ‘atithi’ is not ‘devo bhava’ in this game and people jump, push and pounce on the raider, like Indian relatives usually do after Board exams.
But thankfully, the weight limit for participation in this is 85 kilograms at maximum.
Paint the Town ‘Raid’
The number of players tagged in a raid equals the number of points scored. When a team scores three or more points in a raid, it is called a “Super Raid”. It is equivalent to a massive six in cricket.
And probably this would’ve been a ‘helicopter shot’ in Kabaddi:
Three Mistakes of Thy Life
In the Pro Kabaddi League, if the raider comes back ‘khaali haath’, i.e, fails to score or lose any point during the raid, it’s called an empty raid. In the case of three back-to-back empty raids, the raider who completes the third empty raid will be declared out.
And we traditionally don’t like when 3 people come back empty-handed, ‘coz 4 log kya kahenge?
With this, the opponent team shall be awarded a point and get one of their player revived. We just love the ‘punar-janam’ concept everywhere!
Track the field
If the raider manages to cross the Bonus line, before touching the defenders or before he is caught by the defenders, a point is awarded to the raider’s team.
Overtaking Opponents
When a team manages to get the entire opponent team out, then that team scores an ALL-OUT and two extra points are awarded to the team.
Even if a team gets all-out, the game continues till the end of 40 minutes, and all the players who are out shall enter in their court within 10 Seconds.
The team with the most point wins
At the end of it, the team with the most point wins.
Now take a deep breath, chant ‘Kabaddi Kabaddi’, share this with 7 of your friends, and ‘tag’ them too. Have a field day!
(Would you like to contribute to our Independence Day campaign to celebrate the mother tongue? Here's your chance! This Independence Day, khul ke bol with BOL – Love your Bhasha. Sing, write, perform, spew poetry – whatever you like – in your mother tongue. Send us your BOL at bol@thequint.com or WhatsApp it to 9910181818.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)