Kabaddi is a contact sport originated in ancient India. It is one of the most popular sports played mostly in the rural parts of the country. It is regarded as a team-contact sport or a recreational form of combat training. There are four forms of this sport played in the country named Amar, Suranjeevi, Huttuttoo and Gaminee. Amar is generally played in Punjab, Haryana, America, Canada and other parts of the world mostly by the Punjabi sportspersons whereas Huttuttoo is played in Maharashtra by men. Suranjeevi is one of the most played forms of Kabaddi and this form is used in international matches generally played in Asian games and in Gaminee there is no revival when all the players of the team are out the game ends and hence no time limit for this form of kabaddi.
The Kabaddi Federation of India (KFI) was founded in the year 1950 and is responsible for a compiled set of rules for the game. The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) was founded in 1973 and has given new shape and rules to the game. Pro Kabaddi League was introduced in 2014 based on Indian Premier League with eight franchises to make the sport more popular in urban areas as well. In 2017, 4 new teams are introduced in PKL making it more competitive and intense. Some of the shining stars of Indian Kabaddi team who make the country proud include Mohit Chhillar, Manjeet Chihillar, Anup Kumar, Rahul Chaudhari, Rohit Kumar Dhamaraj Cheralathan etc. Indian women Kabaddi team is also not far behind and won many hearts in different tournaments.
Some Achievements of Indian Kabaddi Team
Indian men won all the six Kabaddi World cups played till now
India won 7 gold medals out of a possible 8 until the 2006 SAF games
Indian women won four Kabaddi world cup titles
India had won 9 Gold medals at Asian Games
Indian team is a winner of three gold medals at South Asian Games (SAF)