How many players are in a kabaddi team?
I · Intermediate · The game · 1 of 7Seven players of each team are on the court at a time. A team for a match is 10 to 12 players, so three to five are substitutes. Kabaddi also has a weight limit: a man must weigh no more than 85 kg and a woman no more than 75 kg.
How it works
- On the court: seven players a side.
- Team for a match: 10 to 12 players, named to the organisers at least 90 minutes before the start.
- Squad: 10 to 12 at national level and below, 10 to 14 internationally.
- Weight limits: men 85 kg, women 75 kg, junior boys 70 kg, junior girls 65 kg, sub-juniors 55 kg.
- Age groups: senior is open. Juniors are 20 or under and sub-juniors 16 or under on the last date of the event.
- Numbers: on every shirt, at least 4 inches on the front and 6 inches on the back.
- Nails and ornaments: nails clipped short, no ornaments of any kind.
- Oil: no oil or any soft, sticky or slippery substance on the body.
- Shoes: compulsory on a synthetic surface.
The glossary has the team, the raider, the defender, the substitution, the kabaddi mat and the technical point.
Tricky cases
Can a team play with oil on their arms and legs?
No. The first time it is found in a team, the player is sent to clean it off and the opponents get a technical point. Any later case brings another technical point and a yellow card, which is a two-minute suspension.
Can a 90 kg player play in a men's match?
No. Under these rules a man "should not be greater than 85 Kg".
Does every player have to raid?
No. The rules name no positions. Any of the seven may raid when it is their team's turn, and all seven defend.
Can a team be stopped from playing over its kit?
Yes. If a team does not follow the dress code, the referee "may disallow the team from playing the match".
Why the rule exists
Kabaddi is a contact sport with no protective kit, so the rules control what the body can do to another body. The weight limit keeps mismatches down, clipped nails and no ornaments prevent cuts, and the ban on oil stops a raider from making themselves impossible to hold.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| National level and below | Squad of 10 to 12 | IKF Rule 47 |
| International level | Squad of 10 to 14 | IKF Rule 47 |
| First case of oil in a team | Clean it off; one technical point to the opponents | IKF Rule 63(i) |
| Any later case | Technical point and a yellow card | IKF Rule 63(ii) |
| Pro Kabaddi League | The league sets its own squad sizes and weight limit | 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 5, 6, 47, 48 and 61 to 64. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Rules and Regulations of All Forms of Kabaddi (PDF, a scan).