Explained: What is Kho Kho? How is it played?

The Kho Kho World Cup will be held from January 13 to 19, 2025.

Kho Kho is a traditional South Asian sport that dates to ancient India. It is the second-most popular traditional tag game in the Indian subcontinent after Kabaddi. While the exact origin of Kho Kho is hard to determine, it is believed that certain aspects of the game have been mentioned in the ancient Indian epic of Mahabharata, in the famous Chakravyuha incident.

The first All India Kho Kho Championship was held in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh in 1959-60 while the national championship for women was played in Kolhapur, Maharashtra in 1960-61.

The discipline was also demonstrated during the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi and the first-ever Asian Championship was held in Kolkata in 1996. It was also a medal sport at the South Asian Games 2016 in Guwahati. Currently, almost 25 countries have their national Kho Kho teams.

In a breakthrough for the sport, the first Kho Kho World Cup 2025 will be held from January 13 to 19 in New Delhi. It will witness the participation of 24 countries from six continents, comprising 21 men’s and 20 women’s teams.

On that note, let’s learn more about the sport and how it is played.

How to play Kho Kho?

The way to play Kho Kho is to earn points by tagging or hunting an opponent. However, it is bound by a strict set of rules rather than being a free-for-all playground game.

A senior international Kho Kho match has two innings separated by a brief break. Each inning has two turns, lasting nine minutes each, where teams alternate between chasing and defending. The team with the most points at the end of the two innings wins the match.

If the teams are tied at the end of the match, an additional innings is played to decide the winner. If there’s still no definite winner, both teams take a turn each and the side to win one point in the least amount of time emerges victorious.

Kho Kho playing field and dimensions

A competitive Kho Kho playing field is rectangular, measuring 27m by 16m. The 27m lines are side lines, and the 16m are end lines. Two free zones, 1.5m from each end line, are marked at both ends.

Vertical poles (120-125 cm tall, 9-10 cm in diameter) are placed midway in each free zone. A 30cm-wide central lane connects the poles, and eight equidistant 35cm-wide cross lanes subdivide the area between the free zones.

How many players are in Kho Kho?

A Kho Kho team has nine players. There are, however, 12 players in each Kho Kho team, the remaining three can be brought on as substitutes.

Kho Kho rules

A Kho Kho match starts with a coin toss. The winning captain puts his hands up and points their index finger towards either the central line, signaling a chase, or the sidelines, signaling a defence. The chasing team takes the field for the chase. Eight players take up crouching positions in eight small rectangles formed by the intersection of the central and cross lanes.

Consecutive chasers cannot face in the same direction and have to take their positions facing opposite sidelines. The ninth chaser called the attacking or active chaser, starts the match from one of the free zones. The defending team, meanwhile, sends in a group of three defenders for the start of the match.

What is the role of a chaser?

In Kho Kho, the match begins with the active chaser trying to tag one of the three defenders. Chaser movement is restricted to the direction of their first step, known as the “taking direction,” and they cannot cross the central lane. To change direction or half, the chaser must enter the free zone and touch the pole.

A chaser can also tag a fellow inactive chaser by saying “Kho,” handing over the chase. The tagged chaser becomes active, and the one who gave the “Kho” becomes inactive, sitting in the active chaser’s position.

When’s a Kho deemed illegal?

Generally, Khos are given when a defender crosses over to the other end of the central lane, so tagging in a chaser facing that direction of the court is always the norm. Tags or Khos to chasing teammates are generally made on the back, between the shoulder and waist. If a teammate extends his arms or legs for the ball, it is considered illegal.

How does the chasing team win points?

The chasing team wins a point by touching the defender. While the tagged defender leaves the field. Once all three defenders are out, the defending team sends in the next batch of three defenders.

The batch of three for each group of defenders and the sequence in which each batch enters needs to remain the same during a turn. Also, an attacker who tags the last remaining defender of a batch cannot continue the chase. They need to ‘Kho’ or tag in a team-mate to initiate the chase on the new batch of defenders.

Cards in Kho Kho

Cards are given out for violations like disorderly behaviour, overly aggressive tackles, or a variety of other technical fouls.

The yellow card is the first caution and two yellow cards in a match means the player will need to sit out the remainder of the match and the next match of a particular tournament. Two yellow cards accumulated in different matches of a tournament will result in a one-match ban for the player.

A direct red card, meanwhile, results in suspension from the ongoing match and the next match of the tournament.

Kho Kho World Cup

The Kho Kho World Cup is the pinnacle of international competition for the discipline, first conceptualized by the International Kho Kho Federation to promote and globalize the traditional Indian game.

The inaugural Kho Kho World Cup is set to take place in 2025, from January 13 to 19, at the Indira Gandhi Arena in New Delhi. The tournament was envisioned to provide a platform for players from different countries to compete at the highest level, fostering cultural exchange and sportsmanship.

A total of 24 nations from six continents will participate, featuring 21 men’s teams and 20 women’s teams. The tournament’s format includes group stages followed by knockout rounds, adopting a seven-a-side fast-paced format inspired by Ultimate Kho Kho.

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