The Kho Kho World Cup, from January 13-19, 2025, at New Delhi바카라™s Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, will feature 23 countries, 39 teams, and mascots Tejas and Tara. Here바카라™s a quick guide to the rules and regulations
The first-ever Kho Kho World Cup 2025 is about to kick off, and it바카라™s not just a dream, it바카라™s a reality. Delhi is buzzing with excitement, as banners and posters celebrating Kho Kho, a sport rooted in India바카라™s cultural rural heritage, fill the city. This action will take place at the Indira Gandhi Stadium from January 13 to 19, 2025, which will make this traditional game take a great leap forward. (More Sports News)
The World Cup in Kho Kho is taking a huge stride towards globalization with 39 teams from all over the world participating in it. It features men's and women's categories that will promise action-packed competition all through the week.
The opening ceremony on January 13 will kick off with a match between India and Nepal, highlighting equality with tournaments for both genders.
But we know what you're wondering, what are the rules? Is it more difficult or complex than the Kho Kho we played with our friends back in school? Don바카라™t worry, we바카라™ve got you covered.
Here바카라™s your ultimate guide to the Kho Kho World Cup 2025, with everything you need to know about the rules, regulations, and format.
The Kho Kho World Cup will follow round-robin play, culminating in knockout stages. The two top teams of each group, along with the two best-performing third-placed teams, will qualify for the quarterfinals. From there, the tournament moves to the semifinals and finals.
Each Kho Kho team will consist of nine players on the field, with a total of 12 players in the squad. The remaining three players can be used as substitutes during the match.
Men바카라™s Kho Kho Teams
Group A: India, Nepal, Peru, Brazil, Bhutan
Group B: South Africa, Ghana, Argentina, Netherlands, Iran
Group C: Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Republic of Korea, United States of America, Poland
Group D: England, Germany, Malaysia, Australia, Kenya
Women바카라™s Kho Kho Teams
Group A: India, Iran, Malaysia, Republic of Korea
Group B: England, Australia, Kenya, Uganda, Netherlands
Group C: Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Germany, Bangladesh
Group D: South Africa, New Zealand, Poland, Peru, Indonesia
Field: The game is played on a rectangular field divided into two halves with a central lane in the middle.
Match: A Kho Kho match consists of two innings, including four turns; two for chasing and two for defending. Each turn lasts 7 minutes, with a 2-minute break between turns and a 3-minute interval between the innings.
Chasing: Those on the chasers' side take turns running forward to tag down the defenders; the rest stay in a queue. They alternate directions depending on the instruction during play.
Defending: The defending team tries to avoid being tagged until the time runs out.
Start Of The Play - Rules
A Kho Kho match begins with a coin toss. The winning captain raises their hand and points their finger either towards the central line (for chasing) or the sidelines (for defending).
The chasing team then takes the field. Eight players sit in the small rectangles formed by the intersection of the central and cross lanes. Consecutive chasers must face opposite sidelines. The ninth player, called the attacker or active chaser, starts from one of the free zones.
The defending team sends in three defenders at the start.
The match begins with the active chaser trying to tag one of the three defenders.
Movement Rules:
Chasers can only run in the direction they first step in, known as "taking direction." The active chaser cannot cross the central lane while chasing. To change direction or move to the other side of the central line, the chaser must enter the free zone, touch the pole, and change direction.
Tagging And 'Kho':
Chasers can tag a teammate by saying "Kho" to pass on the chase. Once tagged, the chaser becomes inactive and sits in the position of the new active chaser.
Tags or Khos should be made on the back, between the shoulder and waist. If a teammate extends their arm or feet for a Kho, it바카라™s illegal.
When a chaser tags a defender, the chasing team earns a point, and the tagged defender leaves the field. Once all three defenders are tagged, the next batch of three defenders enters the game.
The sequence of three defenders remains the same for each batch.
The active chaser who tags the last defender of a batch must tag a teammate to continue the chase with the next batch.
Teams usually send in their best defenders first to use up as much time as possible. Once the first innings ends, the teams switch roles: the chasing team becomes the defending team.
The game repeats for another inning, and the team with the most points wins.
Ending The Innings Early:
When the defending team scores above 9, its captain has an option to stop first innings like declaration in cricket. Second innings can also be called to close earlier by its skipper at any moment.
Follow-On:
If a team has a lead of 6 or 8 points in the first innings, they can enforce a "follow-on" on the opposing team. The team trailing must chase first in the second innings, and the team enforcing the follow-on can take their chasing turn last if the deficit is erased.
Yellow And Red Cards:
Kho Kho uses yellow and red cards for violations like aggressive tackles or bad behavior. A yellow card is a caution, and two yellow cards in a match will cause the player to sit out the rest of the match and the next one. Two yellow cards in different matches will cause a player to miss the next match. A direct red card results in suspension from the ongoing match and the next match.