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Top kabaddi leagues played around the world

Kabaddi is among the oldest and most adventurous sports played globally. When it comes to tracking down its origin, you can find its deep roots in ancient India. Played by both men’s and women’s, The game of Kabaddi is more of physical strength, stamina, speed, and strategies followed by teams, coaches, and players to win it. Earlier, this game was known to be played on soil, but as time progressed, things changed. Now this game is played on a mat with a time limit, player weight limit, and a few sets of different rules like bonus line, walk line, substitutions, etc.

In recent years, Kabaddi has seen an amazing jump in its popularity, and reason behind the such vogue is Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). Other than that other Kabaddi competitions such as the Kabaddi Masters, Kabaddi World Cup, Super Kabaddi League (SKL), Kabaddi Circle Cup, and Kabaddi Premier League (KPL). This search is bounded around the rich history, teams, players, and full insights into these globally cheered Kabaddi leagues.

Now, Kabaddi is extremely popular in South Asia, but this sport has yet to get recognition in the Olympics. Played at different age group categories in the world. Game of kabaddi isn’t just about physical toughness, it’s all about mental, physical, analytical, and a lot of other factors. In the world of online Kabaddi gaming, 96.in com gives you many opportunities to be successful by providing tips, analysis, odds, news, insights, expert opinions, and a lot more.

List of best kabaddi competitions played around the world

1. Pro Kabaddi League (PKL)

Started in 2014, the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is not even India’s but can be considered the world’s best professional Kabaddi competition. PKL has a crucial role in developing the game of Kabaddi and making it reach every television in the home. With a mission to promote Kabaddi’s appeal, PKL delivers as a crucial platform for skilled athletes to showcase their abilities on a professional stage. 

The PKL works on a franchise model, with teams owned by individuals, corporations, or organizations. The league has 12 teams, representing various Indian cities, participated in the league. Each team consists of 18-20 players, including a mix of domestic and international players. All the online kabaddi gaming matches can be enjoyed on 96in. com.

The league is been played in a round-robin format, featuring each team facing every other team twice during the season. The league phase ends with the top two teams reaching the semi-finals directly & and the remaining 4 teams compete in playoffs with each other as per position in the table. Out of these 2 winners reach the Semi-finals to compete against the top two teams. The team that wins in the final is crowned the PKL champion.

The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) has effectively played an important role in shaping Kabaddi’s growth in India. Discovering new talented young players across the globe and offering them professional opportunities and huge platforms to showcase their skills. Beyond player development, the league has generated employment for coaches and supporting staff, putting up to the sport’s overall ecosystem. Since its beginning, the PKL has proven highly successful, spiking Kabaddi’s status globally. This league has been known in households in India. Along with getting millions of viewers globally and making its position strong as a key player in the evolution and promotion of Kabaddi as a widely recognized and celebrated sport. With its worldwide popularity, PKL Kabaddi gaming is keeping fans interested in the game. 96.in com gives you expert opinions, blogs, news, insights, odds, and many other options for gaining more.

2. Kabaddi Masters

Being a known game of the soil, originating in South Asia, and most importantly a part of Indian culture. Kabaddi has transformed itself into a profitable game. Different leagues played in states, and cities, are especially welcomed in India. One such league is Kabaddi Masters, organized by the Kabaddi Federation, which features top national teams in tough global competition. This event seamlessly combines tradition and modern sportsmanship, getting a wide age group of sports-loving audiences ranging from kids to old age, and showing online Kabaddi gaming their full support. Personifying the energetic rise of this ancient contact sport. Kabaddi’s success is visible in its keen Asian following. To participate in the excitement of the Kabaddi Masters, consider exploring the online sports gaming options available on the 96in com website or app.

The first Kabaddi Masters was held in 2018 in Dubai, UAE. The competition has six teams: India, Pakistan, Kenya, Iran, South Korea, and Japan. With the top four teams reaching the semi-finals, the tournament was played in a round-robin format where teams competed for dominance, adding power to the league.

The Kabaddi Masters is a well-known global kabaddi league. This tournament has top-tier players participating from various nations, representing their countries. Highlighting their best kabaddi skills and giving each other a tough competition. Known as a crucial preparatory ground for major international events such as the Kabaddi World Cup and the Asian Games. This event is a crucial moment, unifying top talents and promoting a lively environment, promoting kabaddi on the world stage.

3. Kabaddi World Cup

The Kabaddi World Cup is been organized, every four years by the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF).  Kabaddi is widely popular in South Asian nations like India, Bangladesh, Iran, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and other Asian nations like Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea. African nations Kenya, and Nigeria also give good competition in the sport. While Kabaddi is also played in Poland, England, Canada, and Australia. The tournament gives a platform for teams from around the world to compete and win the tournament.

India has maintained its power in Kabaddi winning and dominating in every tournament held to date. The competition is been played by men’s and women both teams, featuring 12 men’s and 6 women’s teams competing for the title.

4. Asian Games

Asian games are been played every four years and as of now, Asian games are considered as the highest tournament for Kabaddi, where Asian teams compete in men’s and women’s divisions to win the gold medal for their country. In the year 1990, Kabaddi was taken as a sport in the Asian games. Till 2014, India dominated the game by winning gold in all the editions, while 2018 is the only year when Iran won the gold, the Indian men’s team won the Bronze and the women’s team won the silver medal. 

In the last 2022 Asian Games edition held in 2023 in China, where the Indian men’s and women’s teams secured the Gold medal for the country. The men’s team won gold by defeating Iran in the finals, while the women’s team succeeded over Taipei, winning a gold medal. This victory maintained India’s talent in Kabaddi on the international stage.

5. National Kabaddi Championship

Started in 1952, the National Kabaddi Championship is known as India’s oldest respected Kabaddi league. Where teams from different states and some government organizations participated with each other. This Kabaddi tournament has its importance as you can witness new emerging Kabaddi talents in this league.

Teams from different states kabaddi federations compete with each other to win the tournament. The competition spans multiple categories, encompassing Sub-Junior, Junior, and Senior divisions for both males and females. Each category unfolds at distinct times throughout the year. Employing a dual-format structure, the National Kabaddi Championship features round-robin stages and playoffs, adding an extra layer of excitement and unpredictability to this esteemed sporting event.

6. Federation Cup

Started in 2013, the Federation Cup has come up as an important Kabaddi event in India. The league features the top 8 teams from the National Championship, both males and females compete in the nail-biting competition. The tournament takes on a league-cum-knockout format. Following the structure of the National Championships, the top two teams from the table reached the semi-finals. The Federation Cup is an annual event conducted across different age groups, covering both junior and senior categories.

7. Kabaddi Circle Cup

Circle Kabaddi is a different format of kabaddi, covered by 96in. com played differently also called Kushti Kabaddi in layman’s language. The Kabaddi World Cup stands as one of the top-tier global leagues for Kabaddi. India’s men’s circle Kabaddi team has won numerous titles in both Standard and Circle styles by dominating the game through their own style. In particular, Pakistan shares the distinction with India as the only other team to secure a Kabaddi World Cup title, highlighting the tough competition in this respected sport.

The International Kabaddi Federation organizes the Circle Kabaddi World Cup and other competitions. The Standard style of circle kabaddi was started in Mumbai in 2004, where India won the very first title. The format of the tournaments consists of five teams grouped into two pools. The top two from each pool advance to the semi-finals. Boosting the competition in the one-of-a-kind circle Kabaddi World Cup.

The Kabaddi Circle Cup has progressed into an important international Kabaddi league watched by many online kabaddi betting fans across globe at 96 in.com. 

FAQ’s

Kabaddi has been played since ancient times in India, and it is very popular among subcontinent countries, played in almost every village in all parts of India. Recently, India won the last Kabaddi World Cup, a Gold medal in the Asian games, and are No.1 ranked kabaddi team in the world.
Pro Kabaddi League aka PKL is the biggest kabaddi league with millions of viewers around the world. It has 12 teams now, and winners of the 3-month-long tournament get good prize money.