The 11th season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2024 kicked off on 18 October at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad.
Indian Kabaddi fans can now follow their favourite teams fighting for the title!
In this article, find out everything you need to know about betting on Kabaddi, from the calendar, the teams, past winners, to the available markets, the best bookmakers and some useful tips and advice.
See everything we'll be covering here:
- What is Kabaddi?
- About the Pro Kabaddi League
- Teams
- PKL champions
- Where to watch Pro Kabaddi Live
- Where to bet on Kabaddi?
- Winner Odds
- Betting Markets
- Betting Tips and Strategies
What is Kabaddi?
The history of this sport goes back some 4,000 years. Yes, that's right, this traditional Indian sport is one of the oldest in the world. Sacred texts suggest that kabaddi was played by the Hindu God Krishna during his childhood and the sport is also mentioned in the epic Mahabharata.
Kabaddi has always been a popular game, especially in the more rural areas of India. But recently, this Indian sport has been gaining popularity in urban areas, thanks to the fact that kabaddi is part of the Asian Games and the recent creation of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL).
Although it was never officially part of the Olympic Games, Kabaddi was shown backstage in 1936 and its popularity grew greatly in the following years.
Kabaddi first appeared as a demonstration sport at the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982, but it became a medal event in 1990 and it has been a permanent fixture ever since.
This sport is characterised by its speed and physicality, which makes for a very interesting spectacle. Proof of this is the growing popularity of the Pro Kabaddi League.
For those who are totally unfamiliar with this ancient sport, let's get down to basics.
Kabaddi being played
- The Kabaddi camp
To understand kabaddi, you need to know the kabaddi mat and its basic layout.
Traditionally, kabaddi was played on soft, muddy fields. Nowadays, the most popular competitive kabaddi events are played on padded rectangular mats.
Most kabaddi mats measure 13m x 10m in senior men's professional kabaddi events. For women, the mat is a little smaller, 12m x 8m.
The game takes place inside the four lines and the rectangular pitch is divided by a centre line, drawn parallel to the shorter end lines. In each half, there are two more lines drawn parallel to the centre line - the baulk line and the bonus line.
Two lines, 1 metre from the longest edges, run the length of the carpet, creating two channels, called lobbies. Sometimes the lobbies are marked with a different colour on the carpet.
Kabaddi court for men
- Game duration
A game of kabaddi lasts 40 minutes (two halves of 20 minutes each).
The game starts with a draw between the two teams. The winner decides whether to attack or defend first.
Each team is entitled to two rest periods in each half of the game.
- Number of players
Each Kabaddi team has a total of seven players on the pitch.
Teams can also have between three and five substitute players on the bench.
- How to play
The game of Kabaddi begins with one team invading the opponent's field.
During this invasion, a player from the attacking team, the so-called raider, enters the other team's pitch while chanting the word kabaddi.
The raider's aim is to mark or touch as many opposing players as possible, called antis or defenders, and return to his own pitch by crossing the halfway line, while continuing to sing in one breath.
In turn, the defending team must try to prevent the raider from returning to their own field by knocking him down or pushing him outside the field lines.
The teams attack and defend consecutively and the side with the most points wins the game.
- How to score points
According to the rules of Kabaddi, a raider has two ways of scoring points during an attack.
Here's how the scoring system works:
The first is through touch points, where the raider touches one or more opposing players and manages to escape to their own camp. If touch points are scored, the antis/defences who were scored during the raid are kicked off the mat. Raiders earn as many touch points as the number of players eliminated in an invasion.
However, eliminated players can return to the game if an invader from their team scores touch points on the opposing team during a subsequent invasion or if their team manages to carry out a successful invasion.
Similarly, an invader is also out of the game if he is knocked down by the opposing defenders during an invasion.
A successful defence earns the defending team a point, also called a tackle.
If a team manages to eliminate all seven players from the opposing team, they win two extra points. It's called all out or Lona. After a team scores a Lona, all the members of the opposing team return and the game restarts.
If a raider crosses the baulk line (with both feet or with one foot while the other is in the air) and returns safely without being eliminated, he gets no points. It's called an empty point.
The second way for raiders to score points is via the bonus point line. The raider has to place one foot on the bonus line while the other is in the air. However, bonus points are only allowed when the defending team has six or more players in the game.
In addition, during the game, if a defender or raider steps outside the boundary line of the mat, he is out and the opposing team receives a point and a revival. The bonus area is also out of bounds until a defender makes contact with the raider - also called a fight.
If a kabaddi knockout game ends in a draw, a seven-minute mini-game with two parts is played. If no winner can be established in extra time, the game is decided by a sudden-death Golden Raid. If there is still a draw after the Golden Raid, the winner is drawn by lot.
- Modernising the rules
With the arrival of the Pro Kabaddi league in 2014, some changes were made to the rules of the sport to make it more engaging.
For example, in the Pro Kabaddi league there is a time limit of 30 seconds for each raid and the concept of do-or-die raids, which means that three successive empty raids result in the raider leaving and the opponent winning a point.
Elements such as super raids, when a raider scores three or more points in a single raid, and super tackles, when three or fewer defenders make a successful tackle, have been introduced.
See what super raids and tackles are all about in this video:
New playing positions have also been created, such as corners (defenders on the edge of defence) and covers (defenders who play inside corners), as well as some new moves, such as the frog jump, ankle hold, toe touch, dubki, among others.
The following video summarises the players' positions in Pro Kabaddi:
About the Pro Kabaddi League
The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is now in its 11th season and is in full swing with Puneri Paltan at the top of the table.
Pro Kabaddi 2024 will follow the usual double round-robin format, in which each team will face the other teams twice during the league phase. The top six teams in the league table will advance to the playoffs.
However, only the two best teams go straight through to the semi-finals, while the remaining four play knockout matches.
A total of 137 matches will be played over three months, with the exact dates and venues of the playoffs to be announced at the end of the season.
The PKL 11 tournament will be played at three iconic venues: Gachibowli Indoor Stadium (in Hyderabad), Noida Indoor Stadium (in Noida) and Balewadi Badminton Stadium (in Pune).
In the 10th season of the PKL, 12 cities hosted the league stages, in 12 stages leading up to the playoffs in Hyderabad.
In the final, Puneri Paltan beat Haryana Steelers 28-25 to win their first major PKL title and become Pro Kabaddi League 2023 champions.
Puneri Paltan - Pro Kabaddi 2023 winners
- PKL Season Calendar
- Start of season: 18th October
- Second phase: 10 November to 1 December
- Final stage: 3 December to 24 December
- Playoffs: to be announced
- Playoffs: January 2025
The 11th season of the Pro Kabaddi League began on 18 October at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad. The first phase runs until 9 November.
After that, the league goes to Noida, from 10 November to 1 December, and then the final phase heads to Pune, from 3 to 24 December.
The dates and venues of the playoffs will be announced later in the competition, with the final scheduled for the beginning of January 2025.
Teams
+PKL 11 List of all teams:
- Bengal Warriorz
- Bengaluru Bulls
- Dabang Delhi
- Gujarat Giants
- Haryana Steelers
- Jaipur Pink Panthers
- Patna Pirates
- Puneri Paltan
- Tamil Thalaivas
- Telugu Titans
- U Mumba
- UP Yoddhas
The Pro Kabaddi League 2024 auction in Mumbai saw 12 teams fervently looking to fill their squads with high-quality players. The auction was held over two days, with more than 500 kabaddi players listed in the bidding process.
Sachin Tanwar was the most sought-after player, and it turned out to be Tamil Thalaivas who got the better of him. Tanwar captained the Patna Pirates last year.
Pardeep Narwal, widely regarded as the most successful raider in PKL history, has returned to Bengaluru Bulls after a disappointing season with Yoddhas. It is hoped that this season his luck will return with veteran raider Rohit Kuma as his partner.
Fazel Atrachali, the PKL's most successful defender, will wear the colours of Bengal Warriorz this season, and his compatriot Mohammadreza Shadloui, a key player in Puneri Paltan's title win last year, has gone to Haryana Steelers.
Indian kabaddi captain Pawan Sehrawat, meanwhile, has been signed by the Titans. And Jang Kun Lee returns to the PKL after four years away and joins his former team, the Patna Pirates.
PKL season 11 auction
Meet the teams and players of the 11th season - Pro Kabaddi 2024.
- Bengal Warriorz 2024 squad
- Vishwas S - Elite retained player
- Nitin Kumar - Elite retained player
- Shreyas Umbardand - Existing new young player
- Aditya S. Shinde - Existing new young player
- Dipak Arjun Shinde - Existing new young player
- Maharudra Garje - Existing new young player
- Fazel Atrachali
- Maninder Singh
- Chai-Ming Chang
- Nitesh Kumar
- Mayur Jagannath Kadam
- Praveen Thakur
- Sambhaji Wabale
- Hem Raj
- Akash B Chavhan
- Arjun Rathi
- Vaibhav Bhausaheb Garje
- Sagar Kumar
- Pranay Vinay Rane
- Sushil Kambrekar
- Yash Malik
- Manjeet
- Deep Kumar
Bengal Warriorz emblem and mascot
- Bengaluru Bulls 2024 squad
- Ponparthiban Subramanian - Elite retained
- Sushil - Elite retained player
- Rohit Kumar - Elite retained player
- Saurabh Nandal - Retained young player
- Aditya Powar - Existing new young player
- Akshit - Existing new young player
- Arulnanthababu - Existing new young player
- Parteek - Existing new young player
- Ajinkya Pawar
- Pardeep Narwal
- Lucky Kumar
- Manjeet
- Chandranaik M
- Hasun Thongkruea
- Pramot Saising
- Nitin Rawal
- Jai Bhagwan
- Jatin
Bengaluru Bulls emblem and mascot
- Dabang Delhi KC 2024 squad
- Ashu Malik - Elite retained player
- Vikrant - Elite retained player
- Naveen Kumar - Elite retained player
- Ashish - Existing new young player
- Himmat Antil - Existing new young player
- Manu - Existing new young player
- Yogesh - Existing new young player
- Ashish
- Siddharth Desai
- Mohit
- Sandeep
- Md. Mijanur Rahman
- Mohammad Baba Ali
- Nitin Panwar
- Brijendra Singh Chaudhary
- Gaurav Chhillar
- Himanshu
- Rahul
- Parveen
- Rinku Narwal
- Vinay
Dabang Delhi KC emblem and mascot
- Gujarat Giants 2024 squad
- Balaji D - Elite retained player
- Jitender Yadav - Elite retained player
- Parteek Dahiya - Retained young player
- Rakesh - Retained young player
- Nitin - Existing new young player
- Guman Singh
- Shade
- Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh
- Vahid Reza Eimehr
- Neeraj Kumar
- Monu
- Raj D Salunkhe
- Himanshu
- Himanshu Singh
- Aadesh Siwach
- Harsh Mahesh Lad
- Rohan Singh
- Mohit
- Manuj
- Nitesh
Gujarat Giants emblem and mascot
- Haryana Steelers 2024 squad
- Rahul Sethpal - Elite retained player
- Ghanshyam Magar - Elite retained player
- Jaideep - Retained young player
- Mohit - Retained young player
- Vinay - Retained young player
- Jaya Soorya NS - Existing new young player
- Hardeep - Existing new young player
- Shivam Anil Patare - Existing new young player
- Vishal S. Tate - Existing new young player
- Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh
- Gnana Abhishek
- Manikandan S
- Sahil
- Vikas Jadhav
- Sanjay
- Manikandan S
- Ashish Gill
- Naveen
- Sanskar Mishra
Haryana Steelers emblem and mascot
- Jaipur Pink Panthers 2024 squad
- Arjun Deshwal - Elite retained player
- Reza Mirbagheri - Elite retained player
- Ankush - Retained young player
- Abhishek KS - Retained young player
- Abhijeet Malik - Existing new young player
- Surjeet Singh
- Ritik Sharma
- Ronak Singh
- Shade
- Nitin Kumar
- Amir Hossein Mohammadmaleki
- Arpit Saroha
- Shrikant Jadhav
- Vikash Kandola
- Neeraj Narwal
- Mayank Malik
- Aamir Wani
- Ravi Kumar
- Lucky Sharma
- K Dharanidharan
- Navneet
Pink Panthers emblem and mascot
- Patna Pirates 2024 squad
- Ankit - Elite retained player
- Sandeep Kumar - Elite retained player
- Manish - Retained young player
- Abinand Subhash - Existing new young player
- Kunal Mehta - Existing new young player
- Sudhakar M - Existing new young player
- Shubham Shinde
- Ayan
- Sahil Patil
- Deepak
- Navdeep
- Hamid Mirzaei Nader
- Jang Kun Lee
- Gurdeep
- Thiyagarajan Yuvraj
- Deepak Rajender Singh
- Prashant Kumar Rathi
- Meetu Sharma
- Devank
- Sagar
- Aman
- Pravinder
- Babu Murugasan
Patna Pirates emblem and mascot
- Puneri Paltan 2024 squad
- Abinesh Nadarajan - Elite retained player
- Gaurav Khatri - Elite retained player
- Aditya Shinde - Retained young player
- Akash Shinde - Retained young player
- Mohit Goyat - Retained young player
- Aslam Inamdar - Retained young player
- Pankaj Mohite - Retained young player
- Sanket Sawant - Retained young player
- Dadaso Pujari - Existing new young player
- Nitin - Existing new young player
- Tushar Adhavade - Existing new young player
- Vaibhav Kamble - Existing new young player
- Mohit
- Amir Hassan Noroozi
- Ali Hadi
- Aman
- Ajith V Kumar
- Mohd. Amaan
- Aryavardhan Navale
- Vishal
- Sourav
Puneri Paltan emblem and mascot
- Tamil Thalaivas 2024 squad
- Narender - Retained young player
- Sahil - Retained young player
- Mohit - Retained young player
- Aashish - Retained young player
- Sagar - Retained young player
- Himanshu - Retained young player
- M. Abishek - Retained young player
- Nitesh Kumar - Existing new young player
- Nitin Singh - Existing new young player
- Ronak - Existing new young player
- Vishal Chahal - Existing new young player
- Sachin Tanwar
- Anuj Gawade
- Dhiraj Bailmare
- Ramkumar Mayandi
- Moein Safaghi
- Amirhossein Bastami
- Sourabh Fagare
Tamil Thalaivas emblem and mascot
- Telugu Titans 2024 squad
- Shankar Gadai - Elite retained player
- Ajit Pawar - Elite retained player
- Ankit - Existing new young player
- Omkar Patil - Existing new young player
- Praful Zaware - Existing new young player
- Sanjeevi S - Existing new young player
- Pawan Sehrawat
- Krishan Dhull
- Vijay Malik
- Rohit
- Sagar
- Chetan Sahu
- Nitin
- Milad Jabbari
- Mohammad Malak
- Sunder
- Manjeet
- Ashish Narwal
- Amit Kumar
Telegu Titans emblem and mascot
- U Mumba 2024 squad
- Amirmohammad Zafardanesh - Elite retained player
- Rinku - Elite retained player
- Shivam - Retained young player
- Bittu - Existing new young player
- Gokulakannan M - Existing new young player
- Mukilan Shanmugam - Existing new young player
- Sombir - Existing new young player
- Sunil Kumar
- Manjeet
- Sunny
- Deepak Kundu
- Lokesh Gosliya
- Ajit Chouhan
- Amin Ghorbani
- Parvesh Bhainswal
- Shubham Kumar
- M Dhanasekar
- Stuwart Singh
- Vishal Choudhary
- Aashish Kumar
- Satish Kannan
U Mumba emblem and mascot
- UP Yoddhas 2024 squad
- Sumit - Retained young player
- Surender Gill - Retained young player
- Ashu Singh - Retained young player
- Gagana Gowda HR - Existing new young player
- Hitesh - Existing new young player
- Shivam Chaudhary - Existing new young player
- Bharat Hooda
- Sahul Kumar
- Jayesh Mahajan
- Gangaram
- Sachin
- Keshav Kumar
- Mohammadreza Kaboudrahangi
- Heidarali Ekrami
- Mahender Singh
- Bhavani Rajput
- Vivek
- Akshay R Suryawanshi
Up Yoddhas emblem and mascot
PKL champions
- Patna Pirates: 3 titles
- Jaipur Pink Panthers: 2 titles
- Puneri Paltan, U Mumba, Dabang Delhi, Bengal Warriorz, Bengaluru Bulls: 1 title.
The Patna Pirates won three titles in a row between seasons three and five and are therefore the most successful team in PKL history.
Patna Pirates season 5 victory
Next up are the Jaipur Pink Panthers, who won their second title in their ninth season after winning the inaugural edition in 2014.
Defending champions Puneri Paltan and teams U Mumba, Dabang Delhi, Bengal Warriorz and Bengaluru Bulls have all won the PKL trophy once.
Which team has the longest winning streak in PKL history? In the history of the PKL, several teams have had consecutive winning streaks, but no feat equals the remarkable achievement of U Mumba, who won 11 times in a row during PKL 3.
Where to watch Pro Kabaddi Live
- Disney+ Hotstar
- Star Sports Network
The 11th season of the Pro Kabaddi League will be broadcast live on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD.
The regional broadcast will be available on Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu and Star Sports 1 Kannada.
Star Sports has been the official broadcast partner of the PKL for several seasons now and will continue to broadcast all matches live.
The matches will be broadcast in several languages: English, Hindi and regional languages.
If you want to watch Pro Kabaddi Live online, the PKL live streams are available on the Disney+ Hotstar app. This way you can watch all the matches on your mobile phone, tablet or computer without missing a moment of the kabaddi action.
Where to bet on Kabaddi?
Want to bet on Kabaddi and don't know where? We can help.
The best bookmakers in India offer bets on the PKL League and also on the World Cup, so get to know them:
Click on the links to find out more about these bookmakers. You can also find out about our exclusive advantages.
Winner Odds
Do you know which team is ahead in the odds to win? Find out the best PKL 2024 winning odds here.
| Bookmaker | Haryana Steelers | Patna Pirates | Dabang Delhi | U Mumba |
| 3.00 | 5.00 | 6.66 | 7.75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - |
| 3.00 | 5.00 | 6.66 | 7.77 |
| 3.00 | 5.00 | 6.66 | 7.75 |
Puneri Paltan is the overwhelming favourite to win PKL 2024.
Betting Markets
Here are some of the betting markets available for Kabaddi betting:
- Winner of the competition
- 1x2
- Draw No Bet
- Asian Handicap
- Asian Total
- Double Chance
- Odd/Even
- Match Result
- Total
- Successful raid 20
- Unsuccessful raid 20
- Successful raid 22
- Unsuccessful raid 22
- Scores in each half
- Exact points difference
- Team to Win The Toss
Betting Tips and Strategies
If you want to bet on Kabaddi and PKL 11, we've got some tips for you! You can even apply them to your bets on other sports and competitions.
- Analyse the teams
Get to know each team in the PKL 11 in detail: the players called up for each game, the team's fitness, possible absentees and even the team's record in the competition. An in-depth analysis of each franchise will help you with your betting.
Puneri Paltan team squad
- Analysing each game
In addition to the previous point, you should study the match in question. Analyse the statistics of the team at the venue and the recent results between the two teams.
- Waiting for the call-ups
In your pre-match betting, an interesting option is to wait for the right moment to place your bet. You can choose to bet closer to the start of the action, with information on the starting team that will help you know more specifically what to expect from each team's performance.
- Follow the whole championship
It's important to follow the course of the PKL as it progresses. This is essential if you want to really understand how the teams perform throughout the competition.
Looking at statistics and results may not be enough, because a team can be playing very well despite having suffered a defeat.
Watch the best moments of PKL season 10
- Live betting
Live betting offers new betting opportunities and very interesting odds. To do this, of course, you need to keep an eye on the game and the kabaddi live scores. But don't worry, you can follow the main events live at the best bookmakers.
- Managing your bank account well
This is advice we never tire of giving. Good bankroll management is crucial when it comes to betting. Don't spend all your money at once and manage it so that you can bet more and better.
✅ Who won the Pro Kabaddi 2023?
✅ Where to watch the Pro Kabaddi League?
✅ Who is the favourite to win PKL 2024?
✅ Where to bet on the Pro Kabaddi League?
