Kabaddi rules and points, explained simply
Every point in kabaddi comes from a raid. One raider crosses into the other half, tries to touch defenders and get back, while the defenders try to stop them. Here is how each kind of point works. These are the rules RaidzOn scores automatically.
The basics
- Seven players on court per team, with up to five substitutes.
- A raid lasts 30 seconds. Teams take turns to raid.
- Two halves of 20 minutes. In the second half, the team that defended first raids first.
- Players who are out sit in a queue and come back (are revived) in the order they went out.
Points for the raiding team
Touch point
One point for every defender the raider touches and gets back safely. Each touched defender is out, and each point revives one of the raider's out teammates.
Bonus point
One point when the raider crosses the bonus line, but only while six or seven defenders are on court. A bonus does not put anyone out and does not revive anyone. It can be scored in the same raid as a touch, or even if the raider is then tackled.
Super raid
A raid worth three or more points for the raider (touch and bonus points together). It is a highlight label; it does not add extra points.
Points for the defending team
Tackle point
One point when the defenders stop the raider from getting back. The raider is out and one defender is revived.
Super tackle
A tackle made when the defending side has three or fewer players on court is worth two points instead of one, and still revives one defender. In RaidzOn, a raider who steps out (self-out) against three or fewer defenders, without touching anyone, also counts as a super tackle.
Self-out
If the raider steps out of the court (or the raid time runs out), the raider is out and the defending team gets one point. A defender who steps out is out too, and the raiding team gets the point.
Bigger moments
All out
When every player of a team is out, the other team gets two extra points and the whole team comes back on court.
Do-or-die raid
After a team makes two empty raids in a row, its next raid is do-or-die. The raider must score a touch or bonus; otherwise the raider is out and the defending team gets one point.
Technical point
Officials can award one technical point for a rule breach. It does not put anyone out.
If the match is tied
At full time the teams can accept a draw, or play a tie-break: each team picks five raiders and gets five raids. If it is still level, the teams play pairs of golden raids until one pair has a winner.
Points summary
| Action | Points | Who gets them |
|---|---|---|
| Touch | 1 per defender out | Raiding team |
| Bonus (6–7 defenders) | 1 | Raiding team |
| Tackle | 1 | Defending team |
| Super tackle (3 or fewer defenders) | 2 | Defending team |
| Raider self-out / empty do-or-die raid | 1 | Defending team |
| All out | 2 extra | The other team |
| Technical point | 1 | Awarded team |
Score it without the maths. RaidzOn applies all of these rules for you: tap the raider, choose what happened, and the score, outs, revivals, all outs and do-or-die raids update automatically. Works offline.
Score a kabaddi matchNext: How to score a kabaddi match · How the kabaddi points table works