Kabaddi is a contact team sport played between two teams of seven players, originating in ancient India. The objective of the game is for a single player on offense, referred to as a "raider", to run into the opposing team's half of the court, touch out as many of their players as possible, and return to their own half of the court, all without being tackled by the defenders in 30 seconds. Points are scored for each player tagged by the raider, while the opposing team earns a point for stopping the raider. Players are taken out of the game if they are touched or tackled, but return to the game after each point scored by their team from a tag or tackle.
Kabaddi, is a contact sport, native to the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the most popular sports in India, played mainly among people in villages. India has taken part in four Asian Games in kabaddi, and won gold in all of them. Four forms of kabaddi played in India are Amar, Suranjeevi, huttuttoo, and Gaminee. Amar is generally played in Punjab, Haryana, the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world, mostly by Punjabi sportsmen. Suranjeevi is the most played form of kabaddi in India and the world. This is the form used in international matches generally and played in Asian Games. Huttuttoo was played by men in Maharashtra. In Gaminee style, seven players play on each side and a player put out has to remain out until all his team members are out. The team that is successful in outing all the players of the opponent's side secures a point. The game continues until five or seven such points are secured and has no fixed time duration.
Pro Kabaddi League or abbreviated to PKL is an Indian men's professional Kabaddi league. It was launched in 2014 and is broadcast on Star Sports. It is the most popular kabaddi league in the world. It is also the second most watched sports league in India after the Indian Premier League (IPL). Puneri Paltan are the current champions of PKL.
Anup Kumar is an Indian former professional Kabaddi player and Kabaddi Coach of PKL Team Puneri Paltan. He was a member of the India national kabaddi team that won Asian gold medals in 2010 and 2014, one South Asian gold medal in 2016 and the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. He was the captain of the Indian National Kabaddi Team. He spent five years with U Mumba and later moved to Jaipur Pink Panthers. In 2012, the Government of India conferred the Arjuna Award on him for his achievements in the sport. He is employed as a Deputy Commissioner of Police in his native State of Haryana. On 19 December 2018, he announced his retirement from kabbadi.
Ajay Thakur is an Indian professional Kabaddi player and the former captain of the Indian National Kabaddi Team.He is widely regarded as one of the Greatest Players Of All Time.He was part of the national teams which won 2016 Kabaddi World Cup and gold medal at 2014 Asian Games. He was awarded the Padma Shri and Arjuna Award in 2019.
Deepak Ram Niwas Hooda is an Indian professional Kabaddi player and the former captain of India national kabaddi team. He was part of the Indian team which won gold medal at the 2016 South Asian Games. He has also featured in all the seasons of the Pro Kabaddi League. Deepak is regarded as one of the best all rounder in the Pro Kabaddi League history.
Pardeep Narwal is an Indian international kabaddi player who currently plays for the Bengaluru Bulls in the Pro Kabaddi League and also the Indian national team. Widely regarded as the greatest raider in kabaddi history, he led the Patna Pirates to three straight titles and holds a multitude of the league's raiding records.
Dharmaraj Cheralathan is an Indian Kabaddi player who currently represents TAMIL THALAIVAS in the VIVO Pro Kabaddi league. He was a member of the Indian Kabaddi team that won gold at the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016. Nicknamed “Anna”, Cheralathan led Patna Pirates to the Pro Kabaddi league in Season 4.
Fazel Atrachali is an Iranian kabaddi player who currently plays for Bengal Warriors in the VIVO Pro Kabaddi League and the Iran National kabaddi team.
Gujarat Giants, formerly Gujarat Fortune Giants, is a professional Kabaddi team based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, competing in the Pro Kabaddi League. Owned by the sports arm of the Adani Group, Adani Sportsline, Gujarat Giants joined the league in 2017. The team, currently led by Iranian defender Fazel Atrachali and coached by Ram Mehar Singh, plays home matches at The Arena by TransStadia. They made it to the finals in their first two seasons, in 2017 and 2018, finishing as runners-up both times. Despite a strong come-back, they were eliminated in the playoffs of PKL Season X by Haryana Steelers in the Eliminator.
Maninder Singh is an Indian professional Kabaddi player who plays for the India national kabaddi Team. He is the captain and lead raider of Bengal Warriors In the Pro Kabaddi League. Maninder is regarded as one of the best raiders in the league. He led Bengal Warriors to their maiden PKL trophy in 2019.
Mohit Chhillar is an Indian kabaddi player who currently plays for Tamil Thalaivas in the VIVO Pro Kabaddi League. He hails from Nizampur, Haryana and has been one of India's best defenders for the past decade. He is a versatile defender who can complement other corner defenders and form successful partnerships. Known for his overpowering holds and swift dashes, Mohit is fifth in the league's all-time High 5s (17) chart and fourth in the Tackle Points (240) and Super Tackles (20) leaderboards.
Hadi Oshtorak is an Iranian kabaddi player that represents Iran in international matches and also currently plays for Gujarat Giants in the Indian Pro Kabaddi League. He is regarded as one of the finest all rounders in the Pro Kabaddi League scoring over 50 points.
Pawan Kumar Sehrawat is an Indian kabaddi player who plays for Telugu Titans in the Pro Kabaddi League and represents Reserve Bank of India. Pawan became the most expensive player in the history of the Pro kabbadi league when Tamil Thalaivas picked him for ₹ 2.26 crores for the ninth season. He was bought by the Telugu Titans for Rs 2.60 crore for the tenth season and with this, he became the most expensive player in the history of the Pro Kabaddi League again.
Nitesh Kumar is an Indian kabaddi player who currently plays for Bengal Warriors in Pro Kabaddi League. Kumar was picked up by Yoddha in the season 5 auction. In season 6, he became the first player in the league history to score 100 tackle points in a single campaign. He is part of the Indian team that won gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games. India beat Iran 33-29 in a controversial final.
Naveen Kumar Goyat is an Indian professional kabaddi player who plays for the Indian national kabaddi team and Dabang Delhi KC in the Pro Kabaddi League. His speedy raiding and consistency makes him one of the best raiders in the league. He was part of the Indian Kabaddi team that won the gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games. India defeated Iran 33-29 in a controversial final.
Arjun Deshwal is an Indian professional Kabaddi player who plays as a raider in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) for Jaipur Pink Panthers. He is known as a "Raid Machine" in the league for his aggressive raiding technique. He was part of the Indian team that won the gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games in Gangzhou, China.
Aslam Inamdar is an Indian professional Kabaddi player who plays in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). He began his career playing in the sub-junior nationals in Maharashtra, then joined Puneri Paltan as a raider for the 2022 PKL season. In 2023, he competed for India at the 2022 Asian Games; the team won gold, controversially defeating Iran 33–29 in the finals. Inamdar continues to play for Jai Bajrang, a club that helped him to have stints with Union Bank and Air India.
Mohammad Reza Shadloui Chianeh is an Iranian kabaddi player who plays as an allrounder in the positions of defense and offense for Iran in international matches and for Haryana Steelers in the Indian Pro Kabaddi League. He rose to prominence as a reliable defender, especially in the Pro Kabaddi League, within a few seasons, as he racked up as many as 177 tackle points from just 45 matches in the PKL.
The 2024 Pro Kabaddi League will be the eleventh season of the Pro Kabaddi League, a franchise-based Kabaddi league in India. The season will begin on 18 October 2024.
