{"id":34108,"date":"2022-12-02T17:30:21","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T23:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/?p=34108"},"modified":"2022-12-02T11:22:57","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T17:22:57","slug":"kabaddi-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/kabaddi-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Kabaddi: Origins, History, And How It Became India\u2019s Fastest Growing Sport"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Friday October 7, 2022, saw the launch of the VIVO\nPro Kabaddi League\u2019s (PKL) ninth season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dabang Deli began their title defense with a\nresounding victory over U Mumba at the Sree Kanteerava\nStadium in Bengaluru. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As always with professional kabaddi, the match was\nexciting, the player\u2019s uniforms were colorful, and a TV audience that numbered\nin the millions tuned in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The version of\nkabaddi played by Dabang Deli, U Mumba and the other 10 teams that compete in\nthe PKL is one that has become known by players and fans around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the blaring\nspeakers and bright lights often mean people forget about the sport\u2019s rich, rural\nhistory. A history which started over 4,000 years ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Origins Of Kabaddi<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The exact date\nand place of kabaddi\u2019s invention is a mystery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, most\npeople can agree that the sport was first played between 4,000-5,000 years ago\nin Tamil Nadu, one of India\u2019s southernmost states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some suggest\nthe game was created as a way of training people how to attack and defend in groups for both fighting and hunting purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others believe kabaddi was inspired by ancient, epic poems that told\nstories about war and battlefield heroics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Either way, it\u2019s a well-known fact that kabaddi was – and is – a hugely\npopular pastime throughout South Asia, especially in India, Iran and\nBangladesh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most regions within these countries had their own, slightly different version of the game, many of which are still played today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kabaddi\"
Image: Arivazhagan89\/Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Despite\nthere being regional differences, the basics of kabaddi have remained largely\nunchanged through the centuries, with a focus on solitary attack and group\ndefense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nis this simplicity that makes kabaddi so fun to both play and watch, ensuring\nthe sport\u2019s survival from 2,000 B.C to the current day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The version of kabaddi played in the PKL was first created in the 1920s<\/a> when an official ruleset was formalized and published by an Indian committee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sport grew\nin popularity over subsequent years with kabaddi even being demonstrated in Germany just prior to the Berlin\nOlympics in 1936.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it was\nonly after South Asian countries like India and Bangladesh gained independence\npost-World War Two that international matches began to be played, leading to\nrenewed interest in kabaddi during the 1970s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually\nthese occasional internationals were replaced by the\nfirst Asian Kabaddi Championship, which took place in 1980. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\ndecade later kabaddi was introduced to the Asian Games. Then in the early 2000s\nanother standalone tournament, the Kabaddi World Cup, was launched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do You Play Kabaddi?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"kabaddi
Image: Port Magazine<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As previously\nmentioned, the version of kabaddi popular today is very similar to historical\nkabaddi but with a codified, international ruleset. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matches\nrun for 40 minutes, split into two halves of 20 minutes. At the start of each\nmatch both teams have seven players on the court and between three and five\nsubstitutes.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For\nsenior men events the sport is played on mats that measure 33 ft \u00d7 43 ft. For\nwomen, the mat is slightly smaller, 26 ft \u00d7 39 ft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nmat is split into two halves with a dividing midline and exterior boundary\nlines. There are also two further lines, a baulk line, and a bonus line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Kabaddi has evolved and is now played in a court. Here's a quick snapshot of the battlefield.http:\/\/t.co\/9bOElNPnh8<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/k68A54BSgf<\/a><\/p>— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) August 8, 2014<\/a><\/blockquote>