There are many sports around the world, some less well-known than others, but that still have a large following of their own. Kabaddi is one of these sports, as a sport that is mostly played in India and the other surrounding Asian countries. It has a large following in India and has become a popular sport, both in pro leagues and amateur matches.
While Kabaddi might not enjoy the popularity that football or basketball does, it is by no means a small-time sport. Kabaddi is the national sport of Bangladesh and has several pro leagues and national tournaments. India has the 10 biggest Kabaddi stadiums in the Pro Kabaddi League and frequently hosts the national tournaments and international ones with surrounding Asian countries.
What is Kabaddi?
Kabaddi is quite a physically and physiologically demanding sport. It’s a team contact sport, with two teams of seven members each. The matches are 40 minutes long, divided into 20 minutes halves and a five-minute break at halftime. At halftime, the teams will change the side of the field they play on.
In this sport, there is an attacking team and a defending team. The attacking team will send a player, called a raider, over the half line into the defending team’s side. Their goal is to tag as many defending players as possible in one breath. The raider tags them by touching the defender and running back over the half-line to their side without being tackled by the defenders.
If a defender is tagged, they have to leave the game, but the defenders can bring back one of their tagged teammates each time the raider is tackled. The entire time the raider does their “raid”, they need to chant Kabaddi to prove they are doing it in one breath. As such, a raid is usually about 30 seconds long.
The History of Kabaddi
Kabaddi started in Ancient India, originating in Tamil Nadu. Although there are no factual records, it is believed that the game became popular with the Yadava people. Regardless, this sport was first recognized as a competitive sport in India and 1920, the first Kabaddi competitions were held. In 1938, Kabaddi was also added to the Indian Olympic Sports, and it continued to rise from there.
The All-India Kabaddi Federation was established in 1950, and in 1951, Kabaddi was the demonstrated sport at the Asian Games in New Delhi. This all led to the sport being formalized as an international competitive sport. It was again demonstrated at the Asian Games in 1982 and was thus added to their program in 1990. These days, Kabaddi is the second most-watched sport in India, right after Cricket.
Top Competitions
Several international competitions where Kabaddi is either exclusively played or part of the program have popped up after the sport was recognized.
Pro Kabaddi League
This competition has become one of the most popular competitions in India and was started in 2014. There are 12 teams from all over India that participate in this league, and it is an innovative approach by STAR India and Mashal Sports. It is the only league that delivers these matches in a franchise-based format and has become one of the biggest competitions in India.
The National Kabaddi Championships
This is the oldest form of formal Kabaddi tournament, started in 1952. It is a major tournament that the state federations participate in by sending Sub Junior, Junior and Senior teams to enter the competition. It’s an annual tournament, and the three different categories happen at different times in the year.
Kabaddi World Cup
The Kabaddi World Cup was first started in 2004 and has since become the largest international competition in this sport. Over 30 men’s teams and over 20 women’s teams participate in this competition. However, the Kabaddi World Cup isn’t held on a set schedule and has only been held three times, in 2004, 2007 and 2016. It has been won by India all three times, with Iran being the runner up and Bangladesh coming in third place in 2004 and 2007.
Most Awarded Pro Teams
With Kabaddi being recognized as an internationally competitive sport, several amateur and pro teams were created. The pro teams compete in the competitions held nationally, and we’ve looked at some of the most awarded teams in the Kabaddi Pro Leagues.
Patna Pirates
By far the most awarded team, the Patna Pirates are the only team to have won the Pro Kabaddi League three times consecutively. They first won in the 2016 January season and then defended their title again in 2016 June season and 2017. They have played over 150 games, with more than 85 games being won and around 14 ending in a draw. Their average win percentage is currently around 55.06%.
U Mumba
U Mumba is the Mumbai Kabaddi team and is one of the five other teams that has won the PKL once. However, they have played in over 150 games and won more than 85 games, the same as Patna Pirates. They are probably the team that comes the closest in skill to Patna Pirates and can be seen as the second most awarded team. Despite this, they actually have a higher win percentage than the Patna Pirates, standing at 57.51%.
Bengaluru Bulls
This Bengaluru Kabaddi team won the sixth season of the PKL and is the third most awarded team. They’ve played in more than 150 games, and they won over 70 of those games, with another 10 ending in draws. The gap between them and the top two most awarded teams is around 10%, as their current percentage of games won stands at 46.75%.
Bengal Warriors
Following closely on the Bengaluru Bulls’ heels is the Bengal Warriors. This team is based in Kolkata, in West Bengal and won the PKL’s seventh season in 2019. They are probably the closest in skill to the Bengaluru team, with over 65 wins in more than 150 matches and playing to a draw over 15 times. The percentage of games they’ve won is around 45.03%.
Top Kabaddi Teams
There are six teams overall that have won the PKL since its inauguration. In order of their wins, they are the Jaipur Pink Panthers, U Mumba, Patna Pirates, Bengaluru Bulls, Bengal Warriors and Dabang Delhi.
While no one can contest that Patna Pirates is the most awarded Kabaddi team, it’s important to consider their overall performance during the year. U Mumba is probably the team with the most wins under their belt, making them another popular pro team with Patna Pirates.
