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).
Pardeep Narwal is an Indian kabaddi player who currently plays for the UP Yoddha in Pro Kabaddi League and the Indian National Kabaddi team. Widely regarded as the greatest raider in Kabaddi history, he led the Patna Pirates to three straight VIVO Pro Kabaddi titles and holds a multitude of the league's raiding records.
Fazel Atrachali is an Iranian kabaddi player who currently captains Gujarat Giants (kabaddi) in the VIVO Pro Kabaddi League and the Iran National kabaddi team.
Tamil Thalaivas is a professional kabaddi team based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, that plays in the Pro Kabaddi League. The team is owned by the consortium Magnum Sports Private Limited, the parent company of Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters FC. Actor Vijay Sethupathi is the brand ambassador of the team. Tamil Thalaivas play their home matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Tamil Nadu.
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 UP Yoddha 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.
Sachin Tanwar is an Indian kabaddi player who currently plays for the Patna Pirates in the Pro Kabaddi League and the Indian national team. He was among the top 10 raid point scorers in the league in his first two seasons. He made his debut for the Indian kabaddi team in 2017. He was part of the Indian team that won the gold at the 2022 Asian Games kabaddi competitions. India beat Iran 33-29 in a controversial final.
Hadi Tajik is an Iranian professional kabaddi player represents Iran in international matches and also currently plays for Puneri Paltan in the Indian Pro Kabaddi League.
Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh also known as Moein Nabibakhsh is an Iranian professional Kabaddi player who currently plays as an all rounder for Gujarat Giants in the Pro Kabaddi League and represents Iran national kabaddi team in the international circuit. He was the part of Iran national kabaddi team that won gold in the 2018 Asian Games.
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.
Parteek Dahiya is an Indian kabaddi player who currently plays for Gujarat Giants in VIVO Pro Kabaddi league. Dahiya was picked up by Gujarat Giants in the Season 9 auction. In VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 9, Dahiya scored 183 points and got 6th place in top 10 ten raiders of pkl season 9.
Parvesh Bhainswal is an Indian professional Kabaddi player who plays as a defender. He is selected for the Indian team for the 2022 Asian Games at Hangzhou, China. He is part of the Indian team that won the gold medal in the 2022 Asian Games. India defeated Iran 33-29 in a controversial final after the final was delayed by over 45 minutes.
Vishal Bhardwaj is an Indian professional Kabaddi player who plays in the Pro Kabaddi League. He is a defender who plays in the left corner. He is selected for the Indian team to represent at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. He is part of the Indian team that won the gold medal in 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.
Nitin Rawal is an Indian kabaddi player from Haryana who plays in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) as an all rounder. In 2023, he was part of the Indian team at the 2022 Asian Games; that won gold, controversially defeating Iran 33–29 in the finals.
Akash Santosh Shinde is an Indian professional Kabaddi player who plays in the Pro Kabaddi League. He plays as a left raider for Puneri Paltan in PKL. He is selected for the Indian team for the 2022 Asian Games.
