How many substitutions are allowed in sepak takraw?
A · Advanced · Stoppages and discipline · 2 of 5Each regu may make two substitutions in a set, one at a time or both together, and a player who went off may come back in the same set. A change is asked for by showing a substitution card when the ball is not in play. A regu left with fewer than three players loses the set.
How it works
- Two per set: for each regu.
- Together or apart: one or two changes may be made at the same time.
- Coming back: a player substituted earlier may re-enter the same set.
- How: by showing the substitution card, with the outgoing player's number, to the referee when the ball is not in play.
- Between sets: starting a set with different players from those who finished the last one counts each change as a substitution.
- Regu event: up to two reserves may be named for a match.
- Team event: up to three reserves for the match, of whom no more than two may be used in one regu.
- Tied to a regu: a reserve used in one regu plays in that regu only.
- Injury with changes used: if both substitutions are gone and an injured player cannot go on, the regu loses that set.
- Fewer than three: a regu that cannot field three players loses that set.
The glossary has the substitution, the reserve player, the fewer than three players, the injury time, the red card and the set.
Tricky cases
A player is taken off early in a set. Can the same player return later in it?
Yes. A player who has been substituted is allowed to re-enter the same set. The return uses one of the regu's two substitutions.
A regu has used both changes and a player is then injured and cannot continue. What happens?
The regu loses that set. The law says the game ends and the regu is treated as having lost in that set.
A regu changes two players between the first and second sets. Has it any substitutions left for the second set?
No. Each change from the players who finished the previous set counts as a substitution, so both are used.
A player is sent off. Can the regu bring on a replacement?
It depends on the changes left. A substitution is allowed if the regu has not used both in that set. If it has, the game ends and the regu is treated as having lost.
Why the rule exists
With three players doing three specialist jobs, a side that loses one cannot cover the court, so the laws give each regu a small bench. Two changes a set allow a tactical switch and an injury replacement, and no more than that.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Every set | Two substitutions for each regu | ISTAF Law 7.3 |
| Regu event | Two reserves at most | ISTAF Law 7.4 |
| Team event | Three reserves; two at most in one regu | ISTAF Law 7.5 |
| Injury, both changes used | Set lost | ISTAF Law 7.7; 14.2 |
| Red card, both changes used | The game ends and the regu has lost | ISTAF Law 7.9 |
From the rule book
International Sepaktakraw Federation, Law of the Game 2024 (regu event, 1 January 2024), Laws 7 and 14.2. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the federation's Law of the Game (regu).