Punjabi Kabaddi: Contact Sport That Has Punjabi Origins

Kabaddi is a popular sport in South Asia. Traditional Kabaddi, played in a rectangular arena, is the most commonly played Kabaddi style. But, there are many regional variations. One such regional style popular in Punjab is ‘Punjabi Kabaddi.’

Punjabi Kabaddi, also called kauddi, originated in the Punjab region. Though there are many traditional kabaddi styles, Kauddi is the most popular Punjabi culture sport. Not just in Punjab, the game is also popular in Haryana. 

 The uniqueness of Punjabi Kabaddi is its Circle style, where players play kabaddi on a circular pitch. Also called the Punjab Circle Style, it is played at both state and international levels. The Amateur Circle Kabaddi Federation of India is the governing body for Punjabi Kabaddi.

 Rules of the Kabaddi Game

 The circular pitch of Punjabi Kabaddi is 22 meters in diameter and is called “Kaudi da barha.” Each team contains eight players, and there will be one-on-one raids.

 Unlike a standard kabaddi game where a player leaves the field after a touch, in circle kabaddi no player leaves the field. Instead, the raiding side will get point.

 In the circle kabaddi, it is not mandatory for the raider to say “kabaddi, kabaddi” while raiding. A single game lasts for 40 minutes, with each side getting 20 minutes of play.

 Other Variations

 There are some variations in Punjabi Circle Kabaddi. Some of the notable types of Punjabi Kabaddi are:

• Lambi Kauddi: 15 players play across a circular pitch of 15-20 feet. There is no referee, and the players can run as far as possible in the field.
• Saunchi Kauddi: This kind of kabaddi is similar to boxing. It is quite popular and most often played in Malwa area of Punjab. It has unlimited players that play in a circular pitch.
• Goongi Kabaddi: The name itself is self-explanatory. Goongi means being dumb. In this style, the raider do not say "kabaddi" but touches the opponent team player. The opponent player, whom he has touched, can only stop the raider from going back into their side.

Some of the notable competitions in the field of Kabaddi are Kabaddi World Cup, Women Kabaddi World Cup, Asian Kabaddi Cup, UK Kabaddi Cup and World Kabaddi League.

There are regional varioations to circle kabaddi. With the formation of Haryana and Punjab in India, the game came to be known as Haryana Kabaddi and Punjabi Kabaddi for a while until the Amateur Circle Kabaddi Federation of India was formed, and the sport came to be known as circle kabaddi.

Within Punjab, some 1000 circle kabaddi tournaments are organised every year. It shows the popularity of the sport in the state and its importance in Punjabi culture. The game has high prominence among Punjabi culture sports.