How are kabaddi league tables decided?
A · Advanced · Fouls, officials and ties · 3 of 4A win in a league match earns two league points, a tie one each and a defeat none. Teams level on league points are separated by the difference between the points they scored and conceded, then by points scored, then by a toss. An abandoned match gives each team one league point.
How it works
- Win: two league points.
- Tie: one league point each.
- Loss: none.
- Abandoned match: one league point each.
- Level on league points: decided on "For and Against Points".
- Which matches count: only those against teams that scored 25 per cent or more of the league points. Teams below that are left out of the sum.
- First test: the bigger difference between points for and points against.
- Second test: the higher total of points scored.
- Third test: a toss.
- A match that cannot be finished: replayed as a fresh match in the next session, and the players need not be the same.
- A final that cannot be played: both teams are joint winners.
- A short interruption: the match continues in the same session with the same score and players.
The glossary has the league points, the toss, the team, the half, the golden raid and the referee.
Tricky cases
Two teams finish level and one of them beat the bottom team 60-10. Does that win count in the difference?
It depends. If the bottom team scored less than 25 per cent of the league points, matches against it are left out of the for-and-against sum.
Rain ends a match at half-time. Does the score stand?
No. A match that cannot be completed in the session is replayed "as a fresh match in the next session".
Floodlights fail for ten minutes. Does the match start again?
No. After a temporary suspension the match carries on with the same score and the same players for the remaining time.
Does the league system have to be run this way?
No. The organising committee of an event may redefine it with the IKF's approval.
Why the rule exists
Score difference rewards teams for how well they won, not only for winning. Leaving out results against the weakest teams stops a side from topping its pool by running up a huge score against one opponent that was never in the contest.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Win, tie, loss | 2, 1 and 0 league points | IKF Rule 57 |
| Abandoned match | One league point each | IKF Rule 57; 59 |
| Level on league points | Score difference, then points scored, then toss | IKF Rule 58 |
| Final cannot be played | Joint winners | IKF Rule 59 |
| Pro Kabaddi League | The league uses its own points table | C; not in this book |
From the rule book
Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India, Rules and Regulations of All Forms of Kabaddi (version 2.1.0, the International Kabaddi Federation rules, 2017), Rules 57 to 60. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Rules and Regulations of All Forms of Kabaddi (PDF, a scan).