Kenya eye Thailand scalp but just what is Kabaddi?

Kenya have Thailand in their sights when they play their third Pool B clash of the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup on Thursday after running group leaders Iran close before surrendering to defeat in Ahmadabad, India.

The national team is featuring in its first World Cup and won their opener against fellow newcomers, Poland 54-48 in an enthralling contest before they almost produced a second successive upset on Tuesday where they went down 28-33 to the fancied Iranians.

Against the Poles, team Captain David Mosambayi emerged the top scorer with an impressive 21 match points while Phelix Opana and Isaac Ikigu added nine and seven to the final tally.

Trailing by only two points with five minutes of the second half to go against Iran, Kenya succumbed against the Asian challengers who recorded their third successive victory in the group to take the lead on 15 points.

Kenya (six) has three more matches to play in the round robin phase of the tournament where they are seeking to be among the two teams that will to progress to the semi-finals from Pool B.

Ahead of Wednesday’s encounters, Thailand and Japan are tied third with five with Poland (one) and United States (zero) propping the group.

-What is Kabaddi?-

Kabaddi is a contact sport popular in South Asia and it is played by two teams each having seven players in court where they compete with each other to get higher scores.

Individual brilliance is exhibited when a player raids the opponent’s court.

Team spirit, togetherness and strategy is expressed when an opponent raider enters your court. The most important requirement of a player is stamina and lungpower.

One should be able to keep their breath for a long time without any break in between.

The opponent team sends one player to the other team’s court to raid.

The raider starts from the centreline uttering aloud, Kabaddi, Kabaddi, Kabaddi, without any break while running from side to side of the opponent’s half of the court trying to touch their member with his hand or leg.

Once he touches an opponent, he will once again without breaking chant Kabaddi, Kabaddi, Kabaddi, as he retreats to his side of the court through the centre line.

The people he touched during his raid count as the points his team has scored.

If he had touched one player, it is one point and if he had touched three players, it is three points for his team and so on.

The main objective of the opponent, when a player is raiding them is different.

They, as a team, would like to prevent the raider’s effort to score by touching any member of the opponent’s team and devise ways to trap and catch him without allowing him to get back to the centre line and thence to his court.

If the raider is caught and loses his chanting breath of Kabaddi, Kabaddi, Kabaddi, he is considered out.

A team can also score two bonus points known as Lona if the opponents’ whole team have been declared out.

KABADDI 2016 WORLD CUP SCHEDULE (KENYAN TIME)

13 October, 5:30PM Thailand vs Kenya

13 October, 6:30 PM Bangladesh vs South Korea

14 October, 5:30PM England vs Argentina

14 October, 6:30 PM: United States vs Poland

15 October, 4:30 PM South Korea vs Australia

15 October, 5:30PM Japan vs Iran

15 October, 6:30 PM: India vs Argentina

16 October, 4:30 PM Thailand vs United States

16 October, 5:30PM South Korea vs England

16 October, 6:30 PM: Japan vs Kenya

17 October, 5:30PM Poland vs Iran

17 October, 6:30 PM: Australia vs Bangladesh

18 October, 5:30PM United States vs Kenya

18 October, 6:30 PM: India vs England

19 October, 5:30PM Bangladesh vs Argentina

19 October, 6:30 PM:: Thailand vs Japan

Semifinals

21 October, 5:30PM TBA vs TBA

21 October6:30 PM: TBA vs TBA

Final

22 October, 6:30 PM: TBA vs TBA