Kabaddi (IKF) — Official Rules

Kabaddi is a contact team sport played between two teams of seven players on the mat. Teams take turns sending a single attacker - the Raider - into the opponents' half. The raider must continuously chant the Cant (the repeated, clear chanting of the word "KABADDI") and try to touch (TAG) one or more Defenders and return across the mid-line to his own half within 30 seconds and without losing the cant. Defenders try to stop and hold the raider in their half. Points are scored both by raiding (touch and bonus points) and by defending (holding the raider). The team with more points at the end of the match wins.

The standard (mat) style of kabaddi is governed by the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF). This rulebook reflects the IKF Rules & Regulations of Kabaddi, Version 2.1.0 (referenced as "RRK V2.1.0"), the standard-style edition in force through 2026. National bodies (e.g. AKFI in India) and the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) apply these rules, sometimes with sanctioned local modifications. Where a scoring convention (super raid, super tackle) is a PKL refinement rather than verbatim IKF text, it is labelled as PKL.

Kabaddi is played on a synthetic mat (or soft soil). The Field of Play (FOP) measures 13 m x 10 m for Men and Junior Boys, 12 m x 8 m for Women and Junior Girls, and 11 m x 8 m for Sub-Junior Boys and Girls. The desirable ground size is 20 m x 20 m, and not less than 17 m x 18 m, with at least 4 m of free space surrounding the side lines. All lines are 3 to 5 cm wide and form part of the FOP. The boundaries are the four side and end lines (AB, BC, CD, DA).

The Mid-line (IJ) is the horizontal line dividing the field into two equal halves, one per team. The Lobbies are the 1 m-wide strips running the full length of the FOP on both vertical sides; they are not in play at the start but become part of the FOP once a struggle (contact between raider and defender) begins, and may be used by players to return to their own halves after the raid or struggle is over. The Sitting Blocks for out and extra players are placed at least 2 m from the end lines, with each team's block separated and seated in the order players were put out.

The Baulk Line is the first line parallel to the mid-line in each half: 3.75 m from the mid-line for Men and Junior Boys, and 3 m for Women, Junior Girls, Sub-Junior Boys and Girls. A raider must cross the baulk line at least once during the raid (counted only when no part of his body is in contact with the ground between the mid-line and the baulk line). The Bonus Line runs parallel to and 1 m beyond the baulk line toward the end line (so 4.75 m from the mid-line for Men, 4 m for the others). Crossing the bonus line legally is worth a bonus point under the conditions in Chapter 7.

Each team consists of a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 12 players (the international squad may be 10 to 14). Seven (7) players take the mat at a time; the remainder are substitutes. The list of the first 10-12 players must be submitted to the organising committee at least 90 minutes before the match. Players must wear distinct chest numbers (at least 4 inches front, 6 inches back), keep nails closely clipped, wear no ornaments, and apply no oil or slippery substance to the body. Shoes are compulsory on a synthetic surface.

Categories: Senior (open age), Junior (20 years or below on the last date of the event), and Sub-Junior (16 years or below). Maximum weight limits: Men 85 kg, Women 75 kg, Junior Boys 70 kg, Junior Girls 65 kg, Sub-Junior Boys and Girls 55 kg. Affiliated units may modify these criteria per the law of their land; falsifying age can lead to a 3-year debarment and forfeiture of positions, medals and certificates.

A match is officiated by one Referee, two Umpires, one Scorer, two Assistant Scorers, two Line Umpires and four Table Officials. The Umpires' on-field decisions are final, but in special circumstances - or when the two umpires disagree - the Referee may give the decision in the best interest of the game. The Referee takes the toss, supervises the match, announces substitutions and the time of each of the last 5 minutes of the second half. Officials carry whistle, stopwatch, warning cards, pen and the latest IKF rulebook. There is no video review system in IKF v2.1.0 (any TV review is a PKL-specific addition).

For Men and Junior Boys the match is 40 minutes in two halves of 20 minutes with a 5-minute break between halves. For Women, Junior Girls, Sub-Junior Boys and Girls it is 30 minutes in two halves of 15 minutes with a 5-minute break. Teams change halves after the break, and the second half resumes with the same number of players each team had at the end of the first half. The team that did not start the first half with a raid raids first in the second half. The last raid of each half is allowed to be completed even after the scheduled time expires.

Before the match the Referee takes the toss; the winner chooses either to raid first or the side of the court, and the loser takes the remaining choice. Raids then alternate between the teams, one raider entering the opponents' half at a time. After a raider has reached his half, the opposing team must start their raid within 5 seconds, failing which a technical point is awarded to the opponent (the chance of raid remains intact).

Each team may take two timeouts of 30 seconds in each half, called by the captain, coach or any playing member with the referee's permission; timeout time is added to the match time. During a team timeout, players on the mat must not leave their halves, or a technical point is awarded to the opponent. The Referee or Umpire may also take an Official Timeout for injury, outside interruption, re-lining of the ground or other unforeseen circumstances; that time is added to the match time. Leaving the court during a suspension or official timeout draws a technical point.

A Raid begins when the raider enters the opponents' half while chanting the Cant. The raider must begin his cant before he touches the opponents' half; a late cant means the umpire orders him back, awards the opponent one technical point, and the raid is restarted. If a raider loses his cant while in the opponents' half, he is declared out. A raider has 30 seconds to complete the raid. It is mandatory to cross the baulk line at least once during the raid, except that if there is a touch or struggle the raider need not cross the baulk line but must reach his own half with the cant.

Only one raider may enter the opponents' half at a time. If more than one raider enters, the umpire orders them all back, awards the opponent a technical point, and the same side re-raids. If a raider raids out of turn, he is ordered back and a technical point goes to the opponent. A raider may not be coached, guided or instructed by his own side during the raid; if he is, the opponent may be awarded one technical point.

An Empty Raid is a raid in which the raider crosses the baulk line at least once and returns with the cant without scoring or losing a point. After two consecutive empty raids by a side, the third raid is a "Do-or-Die" raid: the raider must score a point, otherwise he is declared out, the opponent is awarded a point, and one of the opponent's out players is revived. The raid count then restarts from 1 after the break. A do-or-die raider who scores no point, loses a point, or takes more than 30 seconds is out.

A Defender is put out if the raider touches him (a TAG by any part of the body, clothing, shoes or outfit) without breaching the rules and then reaches his own half with the cant. Each defender so put out is one point for the raiding team and that defender leaves the mat. A raider who reaches the bonus zone may touch and put out one or more defenders for additional points (Chapter 7).

A Catch occurs when the defender(s), without breaching the rules, hold the raider in their half and prevent him from reaching his own half until he loses his cant, the umpire whistles, or the 30 seconds expire; the raider is then out and the defending team scores. Defenders must not hold the raider above the shoulders deliberately, stifle his cant, scissor with the legs, or tackle violently - any such foul makes the raider NOT OUT and may draw a warning card. A Super Catch is when the raider is caught/self-out/declared out while only 3 or fewer defenders are defending (the PKL convention awards this an extra point - the Super Tackle - see Chapter 7).

A player is out if any part of his body touches the ground outside the boundary; the assistant scorer takes him out at once and the umpire calls the number without a whistle (the raid may continue). During a struggle, a player is not out if part of his body touches outside the boundary while keeping contact with the field. Defenders must not touch the raider's half during a raid - any who do are out and the opponent scores accordingly; a raider held by an out-of-bounds or out defender is NOT OUT. Pursuit: a defender may chase a returning raider with the cant only after a touch, never after merely attempting to hold him.

Each team scores one point for every opponent put out - whether the raider touches/out a defender (raid point) or the defenders hold the raider (tackle point). A player who is put out leaves the mat. The Out and Revival rule applies: when a team scores points, an equal number of its own out players may be revived (brought back onto the mat) in the same order they were put out. There is no revival for bonus points.

The Bonus Line applies only when there are at least 6 defenders in the half. The raider scores one bonus point by crossing the bonus line legally before any touch or struggle (no bonus is given if he crosses after a touch). If he is caught after crossing the bonus line, the opponent also gets one point; if he is caught while crossing it, the defending team scores and no bonus is given. A raider who crosses the bonus line and then puts out defenders earns the bonus point in addition to the touch points. Temporarily suspended or disqualified players are counted as if on the field for the purpose of the 6-defender bonus requirement.

An All Out is scored when a team puts the entire opposing team out and none of the opponents are entitled to be revived. Two extra points are awarded for the All Out, in addition to the points scored in the raid. Play continues and all the out players re-enter their half within 15 seconds; for every 15 seconds of delay the opponent gets a technical point, and if the team fails to enter within one minute the match is awarded to the opponent. If a captain with one or two players left declares them out to bring in the full team, the opponent scores a point per remaining player plus the 2 All Out points.

These are Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) scoring refinements built on the IKF Out/Catch rules. A Super Raid is a single raid in which the raider scores 3 or more points (any combination of touch and bonus points). A Super Tackle corresponds to the IKF Super Catch: when the defending team has 3 or fewer defenders on the mat and successfully tackles the raider, it scores 2 points instead of 1 (1 for the out plus 1 bonus). Super raids and super tackles are tracked as statistics; the underlying out/revival rules are unchanged.

A Technical Point is a single point awarded to the opponent for a procedural infringement rather than through a normal raid or tackle. Common causes include improper or late cant, raiding out of turn, more than one raider entering, failing to start the next raid within 5 seconds, on-field coaching of the raider, leaving the half during a timeout or suspension, delaying re-entry after an All Out, and applying oil to the body. Most technical-point offences also trigger a re-raid by the affected side where indicated.

A maximum of five (5) substitutions from the reserve players are allowed, with the referee's permission, at any time; in a single substitution any number of eligible players may be exchanged. Substituted players may be re-substituted. No substitution is allowed for out players or suspended players, and if a player is suspended or disqualified the team plays with fewer players (no replacement). The referee permits substitutions after the completion of a raid at an appropriate time, with the incoming player waiting in the designated area.

If a team has exhausted its five substitutions and a player is injured, the referee may at his discretion allow a substitute for the injured player; such an injured player may not play again in the same match. Injury, outside interruption or re-lining of the ground are grounds for an Official Timeout by the referee/umpire, the time being added to match time. A match abandoned for lights, heavy rain or other unforeseen reasons is replayed as a fresh match in the next session, or - if no replay is possible - declared abandoned with one league point to each team (joint winners if it is a final).

Green Card - a warning; the next card to the same player will be a Yellow Card. Yellow Card - temporary suspension for 2 minutes plus one technical point to the opponent; if a yellow card is shown to the same player a second time in the match it is deemed a Red Card and he is suspended for the rest of the match. Red Card - suspension from the match; a second red card to the same player in a tournament debars him from the rest of the tournament's matches, and a red-carded player may not sit in the well/FOP.

A 2-minute suspension commences from the time the player leaves his half; if the suspended player was an out player, the suspension begins after his revival, and the team may not revive the next out player in his place. Cards are shown for violent or injurious tackling, scissoring with the legs, deliberately holding the raider above the shoulders or by clothes/hair, stifling the cant, dissent or derogatory remarks to officials, a coach entering the FOP, and repeated oil/equipment violations. In a foul hold, the raider is declared NOT OUT and the offending defender(s) may be carded.

The team with more points at the end of the match wins. In the League System, a win scores 2 league points, a loss 0, and a tie (or an abandoned match) gives 1 league point each. If teams are level on league points, the pool winner is decided by "For and Against" points (score difference against teams that earned at least 25% of league points), then by total points scored for, then by toss.

A tie in a knockout match is decided by a tiebreaker in which both teams field 7 players and the baulk line is treated as a Baulk-cum-Bonus Line; the out/revival rule does not apply and only points scored count. Each team takes 5 raids by 5 different raiders, raiding alternately. If still tied after 5-5 raids, a fresh toss decides who takes the Golden Raid; the team that scores the leading point wins. If the Golden Raid is also tied, the opponent is given a Golden Raid, and if there is still no result, the winner is decided by toss.