The VIVO Pro Kabaddi League, India's professional-level Kabaddi league started way back in 2014. It has grown exponentially since then, raking in hundreds of crores of revenue, not to mention the millions of fans worldwide. It has been a commendable effort of reminding India of its oldest sport, one which has grown to be so popular across the world now. The 7th season is already underway, but what is Kabaddi? How does it work? What makes the Pro Kabaddi League such an exciting proposition? If you are not clear on these details, look no further before you tune in-
THE GROUND:
The Field of Play, as the name clearly suggests, is the total area for the teams to be in, during a match. They consist of AKFI certified mats measuring 17-20 m in both length and breadth. Of this, the Court, or the actual playing area, measures 13x10 meters. The entire arena is demarcated clearly by various lines, each serving a purpose of boundary region-
The End Lines are the four boundary lines of the Court, each 3 to 5 cm wide.
The Lobby refers to the 1 meter wide yellow strips on both sides of the court.
The Mid Line divides the playing arena into half, while the Baulk Lines are each of the lines in court parallel to the Mid Line, at a distance of 3.75 meters away.
The Bonus Line is the line between the Baulk line and the End line. The distance between Bonus line and Baulk line is 1 meter.
PLAYER ROLES:
Raider-
The Raider is the player who enters the opponents’ half court with the cant. The raider must begin his cant before he crosses the mid-line to enter the opponents’ half court. The cant must be continuous and loud, or is lost.
Defender-
The Defender(s) are the player(s) who is in his own half court when the Raider from the opponents’ side is raiding.
MATCH TERMINOLOGIES:
Putting out a Defender- A Defender is declared out if the Raider touches him lawfully, and returns to his own half court with the cant.
Holding a Raider- The Defender(s) hold the Raider lawfully, and don’t allow him to return to his half court, until he loses the cant or the umpire/referee blows his whistle.
Raid-
The Raider entering the opposite half court with the continuous cant.
Every raid lasts for a duration of 30 seconds, with the clocks set/reset once the Raider crosses the center line(end of raid), or if the Raider is declared “Out” or exits the arena.
Empty Raids are also a possible outcome, if the Raider crosses the opposition Baulk Line of the defending team at least once, but returns to his court with the cant without scoring any points.
Pursuit-
When a Defender chases after the returning Raider into the latter’s court, with cant, and within the rules of the game, in an attempt to touch or catch him.
Super Tackle-
When a Raider is successfully tackled by 3 Defenders or lesser, the defending team gets 1 extra point called Super Catch Point, in addition to the point gained for putting the Raider out.
