In kabaddi, how many players from each team are on the court at a time?

In kabaddi, each team has 7 players on the court at the start of the match. A team has a total squad of 12 players, so the remaining 5 are substitutes.

How kabaddi is played:

Kabaddi is a contact team sport of Indian origin. Two teams take turns to send a "raider" into the opponent's half of the court.

The raider must cross the baulk line and try to touch one or more defenders and return to his own half, all while holding his breath and chanting "kabaddi, kabaddi" (called the "cant"). In modern rules, the raid must be completed within 30 seconds.

The defenders (called "antis" or "anttis") try to stop the raider from returning to his half by holding or tackling him.

If the raider touches defenders and returns safely, each defender touched is out, and the raider's team scores a point for each.

If the raider is caught, the defending team scores a point.

Players who are out can be revived when their team scores points.

If a team gets all seven opponents out, it is awarded a "Lona" (all out), which earns two extra points.

Match duration and court:

• A match for men lasts 40 minutes, with two halves of 20 minutes and a 5-minute break.
• The court for men is 13 m x 10 m including the lobbies.

Kabaddi in India and the world:

• Kabaddi is the state game of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Maharashtra and Telangana.
• It was included in the Asian Games in 1990 (Beijing), where India won gold.
• The Pro Kabaddi League began in 2014 and greatly increased the sport's popularity.

Why not the other options?

• ✗6 is the number of players on court in volleyball and ice hockey.
• ✗9 is the number of players on the field in Kho Kho and baseball.
• ✗11 is the size of a cricket, football or hockey team.