How many players are in a kho-kho team?

A standard kho-kho team has 12 players in the squad — 9 on the field at a time (8 sitting in the central lane + 1 chaser) with 3 substitutes. For school and junior tournaments, smaller squads of 9 players (6 sitting + 1 chaser + 2 substitutes) are sometimes used. Confirm the squad size in your tournament rules before registration.

How long is a kho-kho match?

A standard senior kho-kho match has 4 innings (2 turns chasing, 2 turns defending) with each turn lasting 7 minutes (some formats use 9 minutes). Total match time is approximately 45–55 minutes including turn breaks. For school and junior tournaments, turns of 5 minutes are common. Define your turn duration and number of innings when creating the tournament.

How is kho-kho scored?

Points are scored when the chasing team tags a runner out. Each runner out = 1 point. If all runners are put out before the turn ends, it's a "lona" (all-out) and the chasing team gets 1 bonus point, then the full set of runners re-enters. The team with more points after all innings wins. In case of a tie, the team that scored their points in fewer turns wins.

What is the "kho" rule and how does it work?

The "kho" is the transition mechanic that makes kho-kho unique. The active chaser can tag any sitting teammate while touching their back and saying "kho" — transferring the chasing duty. The new chaser becomes active and must pursue the runners. Effective "kho" passing — activating the teammate best positioned to intercept a runner — is the core skill and strategy of kho-kho.

Can I run a UKL-style player auction for a local kho-kho tournament?

Yes, and it works brilliantly. Register players individually with their role (attacker, defender, all-rounder). Assign base prices by skill level. Give team owners a fixed budget and let them bid live on their phones. The kho-kho player auction creates genuine excitement — team owners debate whether to spend big on a fast attacker or spread budget across depth. AuctionPro runs the entire auction digitally.

Kho-Kho Tournament Rules and Format Guide: Complete Organiser's Guide

Kho-Kho is India's fastest traditional sport — and one of the most electrifying to watch live. The Ultimate Kho Kho League (UKL) has brought the game to a new national audience, inspiring thousands of organisers to run their own tournaments with the same energy and professionalism.

Yet most local kho-kho tournaments are still managed manually — paper scoresheets, verbal auctions with no records, and WhatsApp announcements that lag behind the action. This guide covers how to run a kho-kho tournament properly, from basic rules to a live digital auction.

The Basic Rules of Kho-Kho

The Court: A rectangular field, 29m × 16m, with a central lane dividing it lengthwise. Along the central lane sit 8 players from the chasing team, alternating direction. At each end of the central lane is a post (pole) around which attackers can dodge.

The Teams:

Chasing team: 1 active chaser + 8 sitting players in the central lane + 3 bench substitutes
Defending team (runners): 3 runners active on the field at a time from a squad of 9

Objective: The chasing team tries to tag all the runners out as quickly as possible. The defending team tries to survive the full turn without being tagged.

How chasing works:

Only the active chaser can tag a runner
The active chaser can pass the chasing duty to any sitting teammate by touching their back and saying "kho"
The new tagged player immediately becomes the active chaser
Effective "kho" passing is the core tactical skill

When a runner is out: A runner is out when the active chaser tags them with a hand while the runner is inside the boundary. Runners can dodge in any direction but cannot re-enter from the wrong post end.

Scoring System

Event	Points
One runner tagged out	1 point
Lona (all 3 runners put out)	1 bonus point, new set of 3 runners enters
Each subsequent tag after a lona	1 point each

Innings structure: A standard match has 4 innings:

Team A chases, Team B defends (1st half, Turn 1)
Team B chases, Team A defends (1st half, Turn 2)
Team A chases, Team B defends (2nd half, Turn 3)
Team B chases, Team A defends (2nd half, Turn 4)

The team with the higher total points after 4 innings wins.

Tie-breaking: If scores are equal, the team that achieved their score in fewer lonas wins. If still tied, a sudden-death turn is played.

Match Duration

Level	Turn Duration	Innings	Total Match Time
Senior (open/district)	7 minutes	4	~40–50 min
Sub-Junior (U-14)	5 minutes	4	~30–40 min
School informal	5 minutes	2 (1 each)	~15–20 min

For a day-long tournament with 8 teams, plan for 45-minute match slots including changeover time.

Tournament Formats for Kho-Kho

Group + Knockout (Best for 6–12 teams)

Divide teams into 2–3 groups. Round robin within each group. Top 2 teams advance to semi-finals. Winners play the final.

Recommended for: District tournaments, inter-school championships, corporate events.

Round Robin League (Best for 4–6 teams)

Every team plays every other team. Team with most points wins the league. Add a final between top 2 for a proper championship match.

Recommended for: Society leagues, school inter-house championships, short company events.

Single Day Knockout (Best for one-off events)

Straight knock-out draw. Fast and high-pressure. Works when you have limited time or as the final stages of a larger event.

Running a UKL-Style Player Auction

The Ultimate Kho Kho League auction is the most exciting part of the UKL season — team owners strategically build squads of attackers, defenders, and all-rounders within a fixed budget.

The same format works brilliantly at the local level.

How to set it up:

Player registration: Players register individually and select their role — Attacker, Defender, or All-Rounder. Add skill level (school/district/experienced).
Base prices: Assign base prices — ₹500 for beginners, ₹1,000–₹3,000 for experienced players. Attackers typically command higher prices.
Team budgets: Give each team owner a fixed budget (₹25,000–₹40,000 in play money for a typical 8–10 player squad).
Auction format: The auctioneer nominates each player. Team owners bid on their phones. Highest bid wins.

Auction strategy in kho-kho:

Prioritise your lead attacker (the fastest chaser) — they determine your lona rate
Secure 2–3 reliable defenders who can cover the maximum court distance
Fill remaining slots with all-rounders who can switch roles
Depth matters — a team with only 9 players has no rest, which hurts late-match performance

AuctionPro runs the complete auction digitally — team owners bid from their phones, the auctioneer controls the pace, budgets update automatically.

Live Scoring for Kho-Kho

Kho-kho scoring has a distinct rhythm — points come in rapid clusters during a lona. Live scoring keeps spectators and players engaged even when they're not in the current match.

What to track per turn:

Points scored per chasing team (running total)
Lonas achieved (bonus point + runners reset)
Individual player points scored (tags per player)
Turn time and final score per turn

Sharing a public results link before the tournament starts means parents and spectators can follow the standings from any phone. Individual player stats — total tags, lona contributions — accumulate across the tournament.

Key Rules to Clarify Before the Tournament

Publish these explicitly to avoid disputes:

Turn duration: Exact minutes per turn (5 or 7)
Lona procedure: When all 3 runners are out, the chasing team gets 1 bonus point. New set of 3 runners enters immediately — confirm timing
Boundary rules: Runners must stay within the boundary. Define what constitutes going out of bounds
Kho validity: A "kho" is only valid if: (1) the active chaser touches the sitting player's back; (2) clearly says "kho"; (3) the sitting player is facing the correct direction
Direction rules for sitting players: Each sitting player faces alternately. Active chasers cannot change direction without a kho — this is the most common disputed call
Substitution timing: When can substitutions be made? Most local formats allow substitution only before a turn begins
Appeals: Only the team captain can appeal to the referee. All decisions are final

Set up your kho-kho tournament on AuctionPro — free for small events.