Kabaddi: Lobby rule to be altered, World Cup likely in 2020, says IKF technical director EP Rao
The Pro Kabaddi League has definitely changed the sport in more ways than one. But the most telling alterations were the subtle tweaks to the rules that made the game faster and appealing to the viewers. Reducing the raid duration to 30 seconds, the addition of the bonus line, do-or-die raids, and super tackles helped the game to be more eventful, at the same time offering teams more chances to get back into the contest and maintain the balance of the game. While most rules have made a positive impact on the game, few rules have left the fans scratching their heads. One such rule is penalizing the defenders that follow the raider into the lobbies without a struggle or a touch. Lobbies are the yellow strips on the sides of a Pro Kabaddi playing area that only come into play once a touch has been initiated. A player is deemed out of bounds if he steps into that area before a raider initiates the touch. The lobbies are meant to give the raiders extra space to maneuver after making a touch while escaping back to the mid-line. However, teams have started using loopholes in…