Kambidi is an obscure sport worldwide that originated in southern Asia; nonetheless, it is one of the most popular sports in India. This sport is played by two teams each consisting of twelve players. Its playing surface is thirteen by ten meters, and a white line separates the field in two. The goal of the game is to score more points than the other team within the allotted time.
A team wins a point every time they put a member of the opposing team out of the game. This can be done in a variety of ways. When a team is on offense, a player must take a deep breath and try to tag as many opponents as possible without getting caught and without taking another breath unless they have returned to their half; this player is called a raider and every time they tag someone, they earn a point. A team that is defending can win a point by preventing the raider from returning to their half by wrestling them to the ground.
Bonus points can also be awarded in certain situations. If the raider manages to touch the bonus line in the opposition’s half, then they earn a bonus point. If all of the members of the opposing team are out, then the other team receives three bonus points. One bonus point is given if a body part of a member of the opposing team goes outside the court’s boundaries.
Some of the rules are that matches are categorized in age and weight, each match lasts forty-five minutes (two twenty-minute halves with a five-minute break in between), the raider must consistently yell “Kabaddi” to prove that they have not taken another breath (if they stopped, even for a moment, then the opposing team is granted a point for successfully defending), the opponents can only grab the raiders by their limbs or torso and not by their clothes, hair, or anywhere else.
