Pro Kabaddi 2022: Lobby rule changed, more substitutes - Explained

With 18 games in Pro Kabaddi League 2022, the league has implemented some visible changes this year.

The controversial lobby rule is gone, the substitution system has changed and extra line umpires have been added to take care of any kind of dispute.

Here are the significant rule changes in Pro Kabaddi League 2022:

No more Lobby Rule from Season 9

The most significant change of rule is the change of the Lobby rule from last year. Lobbies are stripes on either side of the mat and become active when a raider touches a defender or a defender tries to tackle the raider.

According to the previous lobby rule, if a raider crosses the line and a defender pursues, both players are considered out, and the raiding team scores.

The rule was deemed unfair by fans, experts and teams alike. One of the instances which happened last year was when Mohammad Nabibakhsh of Bengal Warriors was pursued by the whole Bengaluru Bulls squad in the lobby and the team conceded an All-Out. In the end, Bengal Warriors won the game with one point with a score of 40-39.

Another instance was when Monu Goyat playing for Patna Pirates took five of the opponent players with him in the lobby and inflicted an all-out on them.

The PKL organizers took this argument into account and the lobby rule is changed to once the raider goes out of bounds before a tackle, the raid will be considered over. The defender who goes into the lobby will not be treated as out.

More substitutes allowed

Another major change is the increase in the number of substitutions allowed to every team and the timing of it.

According to the previous rule, each side was allowed a total of five substitutions during the game, plus one at halftime. Moving forward, each side is permitted seven substitutions throughout the course of the game along with one during halftime.

This makes it a total of eight substitutions during the whole match meaning that any team can replace their whole squad in the course of the game.

This rule change came into effect with a long season ahead and it will enable more youngsters to show their abilities.

More players in Match day squad

The teams can have 14 players in the match-day squad as compared to 12 in the previous seasons.

As the number of matches has increased and it's a long season with plenty of close games, this rule will help teams in keeping their players fresh and ready.