Kabaddi

Kabaddi (/kəˈbædi/, /ˈkʌbədi/) is a contact team sport played between two teams of seven players. It is one of the traditional games of South Asia. In this game, a raider enters the opposing half of the court to touch defenders and attempt to return within 30 seconds without being tackled. Points are awarded for successful tags, while defenders earn a point for stopping the raider. Tagged or tackled players are temporarily out but can re-enter when their team scores. Raids alternate between teams throughout the game.

It is popular in South Asia and nearby Asian countries. Although accounts of kabaddi appear in the history of India, the game was popularised as a competitive sport in the 20th century. It is the national sport of Bangladesh. It is the third most popular and viewed sport in India after cricket and football. It is the state game of the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.

There are two major disciplines: "Punjabi kabaddi", also called "circle style", comprises traditional forms of the sport that are played on a circular field outdoors, and the "standard/rectangular style", on a rectangular court indoors, is played in major professional leagues and international competitions such as the Asian Games.

This game is known by numerous names in different parts of the Indian subcontinent, such as: kabaddi or chedugudu in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana; kabaddi in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala; kabaddi, komonti or ha-du-du in West Bengal and Bangladesh; baibalaa in Maldives, kauddi-kauddi in Sindh, kabaddi in the Punjab region; hu-tu-tu in Western India, ha-do-do in Eastern India; chadakudu in South India; kapardi in Nepal; kabadi or sadugudu in Tamil Nadu; and chakgudu in Sri Lanka.

The raider is required to execute each raid on a single breath; in order to prove that they are not inhaling, they are required to repeatedly chant the word "kabaddi", in a process referred to as a cant. The term kabaddi is from a Tamil word composed of "Kai" and "Pidi", meaning "hand catch".^{[better source needed]}

Ronojoy Sen speculates in his book Nation At Play that kabaddi originated during the Vedic period (between 1500 BC and 500 BC). There are accounts of Siddhartha Gautama and Lord Krishna having played an ancient form of the sport.

According to the sport's origins, kabaddi is a sport developed centered on Jallikattu. A player going to the opposition is treated like a bull. It is like taming a bull without touching it, as it is mentioned in Sangam Literature that the game called Sadugudu was practised since ages.

There are also accounts of kabaddi having been played in Iran 2,000 years ago.