Sports Cockpit · Ball & Team · AKFI circulars 2026 · IKF rules
Kabaddi — weight limits, raid rules, Nationals, the PKL & Asian Games selection
Education Margdarshan's kabaddi map for India: the weight and age limits in AKFI's 2026 circulars, court sizes and raid rules, how state teams reach the Nationals and Federation Cup, how the Pro Kabaddi League feeds the India squad, the SAI centres for kabaddi, who pays, and the awards and jobs after a medal.
01 Core rules & selection formats
Weight and age limits, court sizes and the raid
Weight and age limits for AKFI championships [2][3][4][1]
| Category | Weight | Age | Rule source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior men | 85 kg and below | Open | Senior Federation Cup circular, Feb 2026 |
| Senior women | 75 kg and below | Open | Senior Federation Cup circular, Feb 2026 |
| Junior boys | 75 kg and below | Below 20 on the last day of the event | 52nd Junior Nationals circular, Aug 2026 |
| Junior girls | 65 kg and below | Below 20 on the last day of the event | 52nd Junior Nationals circular, Aug 2026 |
| Sub-junior boys and girls | 55 kg and below | 16 or below on the last day of the event | AKFI rule book |
The 2017 rule book printed a 70 kg junior-boys limit; the 2026 circular sets 75 kg. The circular for each championship is what the weigh-in follows. [1][3]
Court and match (AKFI rule book, IKF rules) [1]
| Item | Men & junior boys | Women, junior girls, sub-juniors |
|---|---|---|
| Play field | 13 × 10 m | 12 × 8 m (sub-juniors 11 × 8 m) |
| Baulk line from mid-line | 3.75 m | 3 m |
| Bonus line | 1 m beyond the baulk line | 1 m beyond the baulk line |
| Match | 2 × 20 min, 5-min break | 2 × 15 min, 5-min break |
- Seven players of a team are on court at a time; the 2026 national circulars allow 14 players per team.
- A raider must chant (the 'cant') and must cross the baulk line at least once, unless a defender is touched; a raid lasts at most 30 seconds.
- The third raid after two empty raids is a 'do-or-die' raid.
- One point for every opponent put out; an All Out earns 2 extra points. Catching a raider when 3 or fewer defenders are left is a Super Catch.
- Each team gets two 30-second time-outs per half and up to five substitutions.
- Matches are played on mats (25–40 mm synthetic) and playing shoes are compulsory. [1][2]
02 Institutional & global recognition
Asian Games, World Cups and the Pro Kabaddi League
India at the Asian Games [5][8]
| Games | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Incheon 2014 | Gold | Gold |
| Jakarta 2018 | Bronze | Silver |
| Hangzhou 2022 | Gold | Gold |
| Aichi-Nagoya 2026 | Gold — beat Iran 40-34 | Gold — beat Iran 37-34 |
AKFI also lists gold at the 3rd Youth Asian Games 2025 (boys and girls) and at the 2nd Women's Kabaddi World Cup 2025. [5]
Government cash award for a senior kabaddi medal (₹ lakh, before the team-event rule) [11]
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Games | 30 | 20 | 10 |
| Asian Championship (every 2 years) | 7.5 | 5 | 2.5 |
The Kabaddi World Cup is also on the scheme's list. In team events each squad member, including reserves, gets 75% of the individual amount. [11]
Kabaddi is played at the Asian Games but is not an Olympic sport, so TOPS — the Olympic-podium scheme — is not its main source of money.
03 Physical benchmarks & anti-doping
Weigh-in, registration and how campers are scored
- Online player registration on the AKFI website is mandatory; players without an online registration number or ID card cannot play.
- A physical Aadhaar card is compulsory for verification during the weighing.
- Junior entries must be uploaded with a date-of-birth proof. [2][3]
How AKFI scored players for the Asian Games 2026 squad [5]
| Factor | Indicative weight |
|---|---|
| Exceptional performance (last 12 months) | 40% |
| Consistent performance (12–24 months) | 35% |
| Outstanding past performance (4–8 years) | 15% |
| Fitness & discipline | 10% |
- In the national coaching camp each player is scored on technical and tactical skill, physical fitness and endurance (agility tests, strength benchmarks), performance in camp games, and discipline.
- All probables must comply with NADA and WADA anti-doping rules; an anti-doping violation is a listed reason for replacing a selected player. [5]
04 Grassroots-to-elite roadmap
From the state team to the India jersey
The full Kabaddi roadmap has its own page
📍 See The Journey / Full RoadmapEvery stage from first club to the international level, the detailed route, the age-by-age ladder and what to eat from stage 1, with sources.
05 Top training academies & cities
Where kabaddi players are trained
SAI National Centres of Excellence with kabaddi [10]
| Centre | Note |
|---|---|
| Kandivali (Mumbai) | With hockey and wrestling |
| Sonepat (Haryana) | With archery, athletics, hockey, wrestling |
| Gandhinagar (Gujarat) | With handball, kho-kho, athletics and para sports |
| Dharamshala (Himachal) | Kabaddi, athletics, kho-kho, volleyball — girls only |
AKFI championships announced for 2026 [2][3][4]
| Championship | Dates | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 5th Senior Federation Cup (men & women) | 19–22 Mar 2026 | Satna, Madhya Pradesh |
| 52nd Junior National Championship — Boys | 1–4 Nov 2026 | Patliputra Sports Complex, Patna, Bihar |
| 52nd Junior National Championship — Girls | 26–29 Nov 2026 | Nehru Stadium, Faridkot, Punjab |
06 Equipment costs & who pays
Who pays a kabaddi player at each level
Who pays — kabaddi [2][10][12][9]
| Stage | Paid by | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| National championships | Organising committee | Free boarding, lodging and local transport for teams and officials |
| SAI centre trainee | SAI | Coaching, boarding and sports science at an STC or NCOE |
| Khelo India athlete | Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports | ₹6.28 lakh a year incl. ₹1.20 lakh cash |
| PKL player | Franchise | Auction price from the team purse |
- Kit is light: playing shoes are compulsory and matches are on mats; teams must wear colour-coordinated uniforms with chest numbers (4 inch front, 6 inch back).
- Education Margdarshan does not print shop prices for kit: no governing body publishes them. [2]
- Making weight: lose weight with food planning, not pills — no supplement is 100% safe and the athlete is responsible for whatever is found in the sample. [13]
07 Earning channels & central job quotas
PKL auction, awards and sports-quota jobs
Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 auction rules (May–June 2025) [9]
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Base prices | Category A ₹30 lakh · B ₹20 lakh · C ₹13 lakh · D ₹9 lakh (each split into raiders, defenders, all-rounders) |
| Purse | ₹5 crore per franchise, less the players already retained |
| Squad | 18 to 25 players, 2 to 4 overseas |
| Retentions | Up to 6, of which at most 3 Elite Retained Players |
| Final Bid Match | A team can buy back a released player by matching the winning bid (up to 3 FBM cards) |
- Kabaddi is one of the 65 sports in the central sports quota for Group C posts, with up to 5 years' age relaxation (10 for SC/ST).
- Medals at the Asian Games can bring out-of-turn promotions; in team events only if the player played at least 50% of the matches. [14]
Refereeing is a second career: AKFI ran referee-course exams in many states in 2026 and publishes the lists of successful candidates. [7]
08 Disqualification traps
Mistakes that knock kabaddi players out
- Over the weight limit or without Aadhaar at the weigh-in.
- No online AKFI registration — no ID card, no match.
- Playing for another state — AKFI issues no certificate of any kind for outside players picked for extraneous reasons.
- Changing your chest number after the entry form is submitted. [2][3]
- Age fraud — the rule book bars a guilty state unit for 3 years and takes back its medals and certificates. [1]
09 Official sources & verification
Where these facts come from
Every fact on this Education Margdarshan page is taken from the governing body's own rule book or a Government of India file below, read on 15 October 2026. Federations change rules, weight classes and scheme amounts — open the current file before you act on it.
- AKFI — Rules and Regulations of All Forms of Kabaddi, version 2.1.0 (8 Nov 2017) (opens in a new tab) Court sizes, lines, mat, age and weight criteria, raid rules, match length, scoring, time-outs, substitutions, age-fraud penalty · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
- AKFI — Circular, 5th Senior Federation Cup, Satna (28 Feb 2026) (opens in a new tab) Senior weight limits, open age, 14 players, mats and shoes, online registration, Aadhaar at weigh-in, own-state players, free boarding · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
- AKFI — Circular, 52nd Junior National Kabaddi Championship (Boys), Bihar (1 Aug 2026) (opens in a new tab) Junior boys 75 kg, below 20 years, DOB proof, dates and venue · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
- AKFI — Circular, 52nd Junior National Kabaddi Championship (Girls), Punjab (opens in a new tab) Junior girls 65 kg, below 20 years, dates and venue · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
- AKFI — Selection Policy for the Indian Kabaddi Team, Asian Games 2026 (opens in a new tab) Past Asian Games results, probables from Nationals/Federation Cup/PKL, scoring weights, camp evaluation, NADA/WADA compliance · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
- SAI KITD notification / AKFI letter — Khelo India induction of kabaddi athletes (23 and 30 Apr 2026) (opens in a new tab) Induction of two kabaddi athletes as Khelo India Athletes from 1 May 2026 via TIDC · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
- AKFI — official website (circulars and referee-course results) (opens in a new tab) 2026 referee-course results by state, circulars · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
- All India Radio News — Kabaddi golden double at the Asian Games (26 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) Men beat Iran 40-34, women beat Iran 37-34 at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
- Pro Kabaddi League — Season 12 player auction rules (opens in a new tab) Base price categories, ₹5 crore purse, squad size, overseas limits, retentions, FBM cards · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
- SAI — Brief on Sports Promotional Schemes 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) Kabaddi NCOEs, STC team-game entry, weeding-out rules · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
- MYAS — Scheme of Cash Incentive to Medal Winners (amended 1 Feb 2025) (opens in a new tab) Asian Games and Asian Championship amounts, Kabaddi World Cup listing, 75% team rule · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
- PIB — Financial Support to Athletes (5 Aug 2024) (opens in a new tab) Khelo India ₹6.28 lakh · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
- NADA India — Managing the Risk of Nutritional Supplements (opens in a new tab) Supplement risk, strict liability · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
- DoPT — Instructions on Recruitment/Promotion for Sportspersons (18 Nov 2022) (opens in a new tab) Kabaddi in the 65-sport list, Group C, out-of-turn promotion in team events · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
- SAI NSNIS Patiala — Six Week Certificate Course in Sports Coaching (opens in a new tab) 6 weeks (4 online, 2 offline), ₹14,800, Class 12 + district-level top 3 or state / inter-university / SGFI / national participation · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
- SAI NSNIS Patiala — Diploma in Sports Coaching (course page, 2026-27) (opens in a new tab) 1 year, ₹63,800, 785 + 104 seats in 26 disciplines at Patiala, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram; Category A (Class 12 + international record), B (graduation + national record) · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
- Western Railway RRC — Employment Notice RRC/WR/01/2026 (Sports Quota), 27 Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab) Age 18–25 on 1 Jan 2027, Level 5/4, 3/2 and 1 sports norms, MoYAS-recognition rule, fees · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
- CRPF — Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons, HC & Constable (GD), Sports Quota 2026 (Advt. R.II-21/2026-Sports, 17 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) 521 posts, age 18–23 on 1 Aug 2026 with sportsperson relaxation (+5 UR, +8 OBC, +10 SC/ST), qualifications, fee, ₹1 lakh bond · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
- Khelo India Youth Games 2026 (Telangana) — Sports (opens in a new tab) The 25 disciplines listed for KIYG 2026 · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
- ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition — Dietary Guidelines for Indians (booklet), Guideline 8 (opens in a new tab) Cereal-pulse 3:1 protein quality, vegetarian and non-vegetarian protein sources; most athletes meet protein needs from food, protein powders unnecessary · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
Spotted something out of date? Email margdarshan07support10@gmail.com with the official link and Education Margdarshan will update it.
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