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.
In many team sports, defense or defence is the action of preventing an opponent from scoring. The term may also refer to the tactics involved in defense, or a sub-team whose primary responsibility is defense. Similarly, a defense player or defender is a player who is generally charged with preventing the other team's forwards from being able to bear down directly on their own team's goalkeeper or goaltender. Such positions exist in association football, ice hockey, water polo and many other sports.
Tag is a playground game involving one or more players chasing other players in an attempt to "tag" and mark them out of play, typically by touching with a hand. There are many variations; most forms have no teams, scores, or equipment. Usually when a person is tagged, the tagger says, "It!" or "Tag, you're 'It'!" The last one tagged during tag is "It" for the next round. The game is known by other names in various parts of the world, including "running and catching" in India and "catch and cook" in the Middle East.
Kho kho is a traditional South Asian sport that dates to ancient India. It is the second-most popular traditional tag game in the Indian subcontinent after kabaddi. Kho kho is played on a rectangular court with a central lane connecting two poles which are at either end of the court. During the game, nine players from the chasing team are on the field, with eight of them sitting (crouched) in the central lane, while three runners from the defending team run around the court and try to avoid being touched. Each sitting player on the chasing team faces the opposite half of the field that their adjacent teammates are facing.
Suresh Raina is an Indian former international cricketer. He occasionally served as stand-in captain for the Indian men's national cricket team as well as in IPL for Chennai Super Kings during the absence of the main captain, MS Dhoni. He played for Uttar Pradesh (UP) in domestic cricket circuit. He is an aggressive left-handed middle-order batsman and occasional off-spin bowler. He is the second-youngest player ever to captain India. He was the captain of Gujarat Lions in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and he also served as vice-captain of the Chennai Super Kings. He is the first Indian batsman to hit a century in all three formats of international cricket. During his time with India, he won the 2011 Cricket World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. Raina made history being the first Indian to score a century in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which he did with his 101 runs against South Africa at the 2010 Tournament.
India has several traditional games and sports, some of which have been played for thousands of years. Their popularity has greatly declined in the modern era, with Western sports having overtaken them during the British Raj, and the Indian government now making some efforts to revive them. Many of these games do not require much equipment or playing space. Some of them are only played in certain regions of India, or may be known by different names and played under different rules and regulations in different regions of the country. Many Indian games are also similar to other traditional South Asian games.
The 2022 season of Ultimate Kho Kho was the inaugural season hosted from 14 August to 4 September 2022. Six teams played a total of 34 matches. Odisha Juggernauts beat Telugu Yoddhas 46-45 in the final. The season had a viewership of 64 million, 41 million of which came from India. This made the league the third-most viewed non-cricket competition in India after the Pro Kabaddi and Indian Super League.
South Asia has many traditional games and sports. Two of them, kabaddi and kho-kho, are played at the South Asian Games, with kabaddi also featuring at the Asian Games. Many of these games are played across the entire subcontinent under different names and with some rule variations, while some of these games may be played only in certain countries or regions.
Kho kho is a popular traditional Indian game that is a variation of tag. Within India, it is played between states in the National Games of India and between franchise teams in the Ultimate Kho Kho league, which has the backing of the Kho Kho Federation of India. At the international level, India plays kho kho in the South Asian Games.
The Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) is the national governing body for kho-kho in India. Its president is Sudhanshu Mittal.
The 2023–2024 season of Ultimate Kho Kho was the second edition of the league. It was hosted from 24 December 2023 to 13 January 2024 in Cuttack, Odisha. 6 teams played 34 matches. Gujarat Giants beat Chennai Quick Guns 31-26 in the final.
The Odisha Juggernauts (OJ) are a team in Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK). They won the inaugural UKK season by defeating Telugu Yoddhas 46–45 in the final. Odisha Juggernauts' sponsor for the first two seasons has been AM/NS India, which has also partnered with the Odisha government to promote kho-kho in the state.
The Mumbai Khiladis (MK) are a team in Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK). They finished 5th in the inaugural UKK season. Aniket Pote is the captain. MK are owned by Punit Balan.
The Telugu Yoddhas (TY) are a team in Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK). Pratik Waikar is the captain.
The Rajasthan Warriors (RW) are a team in Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK). Majahar Jamadar is the captain whereas Akshay Ganpule is the vice-captain. RW are owned by the Capri Global Group.
The 2022 Ultimate Kho Kho final was contested between the Odisha Juggernauts and the Telugu Yoddhas on 4 September 2022 at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune. Odisha won the match 46–45.
The 2023-24 Ultimate Kho Kho final was contested on 13 January 2024 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Cuttack. Gujarat Giants beat Chennai Quick Guns 31–26.
This is a glossary of kho kho terminology.
Akshay Prashant Ganpule is an Indian Kho Kho player who currently plays for the Rajasthan Warriors in the Ultimate Kho Kho.
India 
2023–24 Ultimate Kho Kho 
