What happens if a kho-kho match is tied?
A · Advanced · Fouls, ties and officials · 2 of 3In a knockout match that ends level, one more inning is played. If the scores are still level, the match goes to a minimum chase: each team chases until it scores its first point, the referee times it and the team that takes less time wins. In a league, a tied match stands and each side gets one point.
How it works
- Level after two innings, knockout: one more inning, with a turn for each side as chasers and as runners.
- Still level: an additional inning on the minimum chase basis.
- Minimum chase: the referee starts the turn and closes it as soon as the first point is scored, stopping the watch at that moment.
- The winner: the side that takes less time to score its first point.
- Cut short: the second team's turn is stopped once it has run more than 30 seconds beyond the first team's time.
- Repeat: the process continues until there is a winner.
- Who keeps the time: the referee alone.
- League matches: two league points for a win, one each for a tie and none for a loss.
- Level in the league table: the teams concerned replay on a knockout basis after drawing lots, or by minimum chase if a replay is not possible.
The glossary has the minimum chase, the inning, the turn, the referee, the timekeeper and the attacker.
Tricky cases
In the minimum chase the first team scores in 40 seconds and the second in 35. Who wins?
The second team. It took less time to score its first point.
The first team scores in 20 seconds and the second has not scored after 50. Does it go on?
No. The referee stops the match once the time exceeds the opponents' recorded time by more than 30 seconds, and the first team wins.
Both teams take exactly the same time. What then?
The process is repeated until a winner is decided.
A league match ends level. Is there an extra inning?
No. In the league system a tie gives each side one league point.
Why the rule exists
The minimum chase boils the game down to its core question: how fast can you catch them? It is quick to run and hard to argue with, since a stopwatch decides it. An extra inning comes first so that a full contest is tried before a sprint.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Knockout, level after two innings | One extra inning | KKFI Club Rules Part 3.5 |
| Knockout, level again | Minimum chase | KKFI Club Rules Part 3.5 |
| League match level | One league point each | KKFI Club Rules Part 3.5 |
| National championships | Played on a league cum knockout basis | KKFI Guidelines 9.5 |
From the rule book
Kho Kho Federation of India, National Club Games Rule Book: Kho-Kho (undated), Part 3 (rule 5) and Part 4 (rule 1G). Kho Kho Federation of India, Competition Guidelines (version 3.3, updated to November 2025), section 9.5. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the federation's rule book of kho-kho (current edition not published; the National Club Games rule book was used).