[7] 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 style", on a rectangular court indoors, is played in major professional leagues and international competitions such as the Asian Games.

[9][10][a] The term kabaddi is from a Tamil word composed of "Kai" and "Pidi", meaning "hand catch".

[4] There are accounts of Gautama Buddha and Lord Krishna having played an ancient form of the sport.

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.

[18][19] Modern kabaddi is a synthesis of the game played in various forms under different names in the Indian subcontinent.

[21] India has been first credited with having helped to popularize kabaddi as a competitive sport, with the first organized competitions occurring in the 1920s,[22] their introduction to the programme of the Olympic Games in 1938, the establishment of the All-India Kabaddi Federation in 1950,[22] and it being played as a demonstration sport at the inaugural 1951 Asian Games in New Delhi.

These developments helped to formalize the sport, which had traditionally been played on muddy surfaces in villages,[23][24] for legitimate international competition.

[26] The advent of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) in 2014 revolutionised the standard style of the sport, with various rule changes being made; for example, whereas previously raids had no time limit other than the breathing capacity of the raider,[b] the PKL rules introduced the concept of a standard 30-second time limit for every raid.

[22] The game is played with 20-minute halves with a 5-minute half time break in which the teams exchange sides.

The raider must cross the baulk line into the defending team's territory, and then return to their half of the field without being tackled.

[28][29][30][31] In the event of a tie, PKL rules stipulate (for playoff matches) that each team is to perform five raids on the other team, with no time limits involved, no players being dismissed or revived, and the baulk line being simultaneously treated as a bonus line.

It is played at an international level in competitions such as the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.

The inaugural Kabaddi World Cup organised by the IKF was held in Kish island, Iran, 11–14 November 2019.

[26] The Indian national team won every men's and women's kabaddi competition in the Asian Games from 2002 through 2014.

[56][57] Bengal Warriors, Bengaluru Bulls, Patna Pirates, Tamil Thalaivas, UP Yoddhas, Gujrat Giants, Haryana Steelers, Puneri Paltan, U Mumba, Jaipur Pink Panthers, Dabang Delhi KC, and Telugu Titans are the 12 teams that play in the Pro Kabaddi League.

The organisers of the Pro Kabaddi League change the sport's rules and its presentation to make it more suitable for a television audience.

If the defender successfully manages to tackle the five raiders in a single game, it is a high 5, and the team will be awarded one extra point.

[1] Additional rules are used in the Pro Kabaddi League to encourage scoring: when a defensive side has three or fewer players remaining, tackles are worth two points instead of one.

[64][65] The inaugural Yuva Kabaddi Series was conducted in Jaipur in June 2022,[66] and was broadcast on OTT platform FanCode.

[72] For the first time in the history of Indian kabaddi, players from the North East will be playing in a tournament of this stature.

[76][77] Yuva Kabaddi Series was founded by uMumba CEO Suhail Chandhok and Vikas Kumar Gautam.

The inaugural season features top international players from Thailand, Kenya, Bangladesh and Sri lanka.

The women's national Kabaddi team of Nepal won the historic bronze medal[82] in 19th Asian Games.

Kabaddi was brought to the United Kingdom by its South Asian diaspora (Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani, Nepali and Sri Lankan immigrants.