The fever of Kabaddi is set to hover over minds of fans with the start of VIVO Pro Kabaddi League (PKL 2019) on Saturday, July 20. Defending Champions Bengaluru Bulls, who outclassed Gujarat Fortunegiants in PKL 2018 Final, will look to retain their crown while other teams will look to come back stronger this time.

All the twelve teams of VIVO PKL 2019 are set for the power struggle during the tournament, which will be conducted in twelve legs. The tournament will complete on October 19, 2019, when the final of the PKL 2019 will be played. This time, PKL 2019 auctions have also affected the combination of many teams. VIVO PKL 2019 Schedule for Free PDF Download: Full Time Table With Match Timings and Venue Details of Pro Kabaddi League 7. 

PKL 2019 Format

Unlike last season, VIVO Pro Kabaddi League 2019 will be played in round robin format with each team playing 22 matches against other teams. In the last season, the teams were divided into two groups named Zone A and Zone B. The top three teams from each groups qualified for playoffs. However this time, there will be a single group and the top six teams will qualify for playoffs. As a result, there will be no inter zone, intra zone matches and wildcard matches have been also discarded from PKL 2019. VIVO Pro Kabaddi League 2019: Fazel Atrachali to Jang Kun Lee, 5 International Players to Watch Out For in PKL 7. 

The ouster of Zone A and Zone B in the seventh edition of PKL 2019 will mean that the tournament will be different than the previous edition. Some of you may not be aware with some of key terms, kabaddi rules and regulations associated with Pro Kabaddi League. As PKL 2019 takes a countdown, here we try to understand some of the basic rules and regulations associated with the sport of Kabaddi.

Court: Court means the area in which the Kabaddi matches are played. It is divided into two equal parts. One part belongs to one team while the other belongs to the other team during a match.

Lobby: This is a yellow-coloured space present on the sides of the court on each team’s end. A raider can only enter the lobby after successfully touching a player. If he enters the lobby without touching a player he is declared out. Similarly, defenders can only enter the lobby if the raider touches any one of the players. If any defender enters the lobby without raider touching any players, the defender will be declared out.

Raider: Raider is one who performs the raid. Raider enters the court of the opposition team and tries to touch players and return safely to his court. In doing so, the players whom the raider touches are declared out. Each raid is 30 seconds long, so the raider has to complete his raid within that time or he is declared out. Pro Kabaddi League 2019 Video: Pardeep Narwal, Patna Pirates' Star Raider Shows His Strength In This VIVO PKL 7 Ad. 

Defender: Defenders are the players who try to hold the raider in their court and stops him from returning back to his court. If the raider is successfully held back by the defender, he is declared out.

Raiding and Tackling: The act of raider going into the opposition’ court and trying to get points is called raiding. While the act of defenders to stop the raider in their court is called tackling.

Baulk Line: Baulk line is present in both the team’s court. A raider needs to cross this line in every raid, otherwise, he will be declared out.

Bonus Line: Bonus line is present ahead of Baulk Line in each of the team’s court. Bonus Line is used in allotting bonus points to the raider. PKL 2019 Time Table: Teams, Date and Match Timings, Venues, Online Stream & TV Telecast Details of VIVO Pro Kabaddi League. 

End Line: End line is the present at the end of the court. If a player crosses this line during an ongoing raid, he is declared out.

Bonus Point: If a player successfully passes the bonus line of opposition’s court, he is allotted one point which is called a Bonus Point. However, there is a strict rule for getting a bonus point. When the raider crosses the Bonus Line, his one leg should cross the bonus line while the other leg should be in air at the same time. Vivo PKL 2019: Dharmaraj Cheralathan to Lead Haryana Steelers in the Seventh Season of Pro Kabaddi League. 

Empty Raid: Empty raid is raid in which raider successfully returns back to his court without getting a point.

Do-or-Die Raid: A do-or-die raid means a raid when a raider has to mandatory bag a point otherwise he will be declared out. A phenomena of do-or-die comes only after a team plays two empty raids in succession.

Super Raid: Super raid is one when a raider bags three or more points in a single raid.

Super Tackle: Super tackle is a moment when three or less than three defenders successfully hold a raider in their court making him out. In such a scenario, two points are given to the defenders’ team instead of one. This additional point is called Super Catch point.

Super 10: Super 10 is when a player bags 10 or more raiding points in a single match. This includes only raiding points. PKL 2019 Full Schedule: Telugu Titans Take on U Mumba in Pro Kabaddi League Season 7 Opener on July 20. 

High Five: High Five is when a player gets five points in defending or tackling in a single match. This includes only points earned through defending.

Double: If a player gets both Super 10 and High Five in a single match, then the feat is called a Double.

All-Out: All-out is a moment when all the seven players of a team have been put out by the opposition team. In the case of all-out for a team, two extra points are allotted to the opposition team. After an all-out, all the seven players come back to the court and the game resumes again with the regular raids.

Now that you have learnt all the basic terms about the game of Kabaddi, we are hopeful that all your little doubts about the game would have been cleared. The last season of PKL was a great entertainer and PKL 2019 is again expected to entertain fans in the same way. PKL 2019 will start with the Hyderabad leg with the first match between Telugu Titans and U Mumba at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 19, 2019 06:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).