Two indigenous, extremely physical contact sports that rely on brute strength and speed — and yet they are worlds apart, literally. 

Kabaddi and Aussie rules football enthral fans similarly but have some stark differences. The former, popular in India, is played on a small rectangular mat (13m x 10m dimensions) and the players’ bodies are the only tools for scoring points. The latter is played Down Under and takes place in a lush green field that’s about 10 times bigger and uses a ball that becomes the centre of attention.

With this in mind, imagine a 6ft 1 inch Aussie rules veteran deciding to take up kabaddi with an exhibition match scheduled in a little over a month against players who have played the sport all their lives. This is exactly what retired Australian Football League (AFL) legend Joshua Kennedy has pencilled into his schedule. 

A third-generation Aussie rules player, Kennedy enjoyed a glorious career in the sport, leading his club Sydney Swans to the AFL Premiership in 2012. He is a three-time member of the All-Australian team (2012, 2014, 2016). Kennedy is also a three-time Bob Skilton Medal awardee and won the Brett Kirk Medal and Peter Badcoe VC medal, both in 2012.

His career spanned 16 seasons and 290 games and he called time on his professional run in the sport in 2022 after a hamstring injury took him out for the season. He was 34 then. 

Two years later, Kennedy found himself on Indian shores for the first time, with a new sport on the table to pick up. He will captain the Australian ‘kabaddi’ team, made up of retired AFL pros, in Pro Kabaddi Melbourne Raid – an exhibition kabaddi evening to be held at the John Cain Arena in Australia’s sporting capital on December 28. 

First impression

Kennedy got four days in India to get a crash course on the game. He was at every game over a weekend of fixtures, trying to understand its nuances and rules. 

“My first impression is just that it’s super exciting, intense, fast-paced, and VERY physical,” Kennedy told Sportstar with a sheepish smile. “After the first night, I thought I had it all figured out. And then on night two, I realised I definitely didn’t and learnt a few different rules. It’s been a fantastic experience these last couple of days,” he added. 

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Australia is not exactly a stranger to the ancient Indian sport of kabaddi, having participated in the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. The nation was in the same pool as India and won one out of its five games (the lone win was a 68-45 triumph over Argentina). That team was led by former AFL player Campbell Brown who is all set to coach the Australian side for the Melbourne Raid in December. 

Australia is not exactly a stranger to the ancient Indian sport of kabaddi, having participated in the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. (File Photo)
| Photo Credit:
Vijay Soneji

“I was introduced to the sport by Camp Brown. To be completely honest, I hadn’t heard of Kabaddi before that and I didn’t think too much of it until it was reintroduced to me, a few months ago when the idea of playing an exhibition game later this year in Melbourne came up. Having seen a bit of the game, I thought, why not?” Kennedy remembered. 

“I’ve shown a few family members and friends the sport and it’s funny. The first response is, ‘Gee, this looks fun.’ The next response is, ‘You’re going to get killed.’ All of a sudden, the physicality hits you,” he said.

“But we’ve all played some form of it as children. Be it tag, tip or run, British Bulldog, there was always a tackling element to it. So I think everyone has played some form of kabaddi one way or another. So it does have a nostalgic element for me too.”

Big man in a small space

The 36-year-old hasn’t just been watching. Among the activities planned for him was a clinic with Pro Kabaddi’s technical director E. Prasad Rao (popularly called Kabaddi Rao). He also got to join the Jaipur Pink Panthers in a training session on the mat where Rao got to see Kennedy’s technique and offer suggestions. 

“It’s still a work in progress. Being down on the mat… it’s very intimidating. I went when one of the teams was training on Saturday. I went down and stood on the mat with them, sort of coming in and out. The defence is intimidating, particularly when you’ve got a small space to work in. It’s something I need to get used to. That said, the physicality, the contact, we’ve got in our sport. The 360-degree awareness, the fact that you’re getting attacked from anywhere is similar as well. The spatial element needs work, to know where the lines are, where you can and can’t go, that’s not natural for me and needs work,” he said. 

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Kennedy is yet to pick a department and, unsurprisingly, seems to be warming up to the charms of being an allrounder. The Australian side, he reveals, is stacked with ex-Aussie rules footballers who have been retired for not more than two years. There’s a combined experience of over 2000 games in that unit and he expects everyone to try and contribute in both departments. 

Sporting fabric

The John Cain Arena, which hosts matches in the Australian Open besides hosting sports like basketball, netball, cycling, and ice hockey, is a five-minute walk from the Melbourne Cricket Ground across the road. The venue will host kabaddi festivities after the action ends on day three of the Boxing Day Test between India and Australia in the Border Gavaskar Series. A double-header featuring the Australian athletes vs an Indian VII will precede the main event – the Pro Kabaddi All Stars game between two PKL teams filled with Indian stars. 

Kennedy enjoyed a glorious career in the sport, leading his club Sydney Swans to the AFL Premiership in 2012. (File Photo)
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images

The day sees three sports, each with a faithful following in its respective country of origin, come together in Melbourne. Kabaddi, especially the entertainment product it has been turned into by the Pro Kabaddi League, will get its first official chance to woo Australian audiences outside the Indian diaspora. But between cricket and footy, which sport has the edge? Kennedy’s response was a big smile before he sided with his sport. 

“Cricket is played all year round. But there are certain times, for example, the Christmas period for us in December…The Boxing Day Test is massive. So there will be sold-out stadiums days in a row, which is pretty big. But generally speaking, certainly in Victoria and Melbourne, the Aussie rules…In South Australia, in fact, all over Australia, Aussie rules being our indigenous sport holds pride of place and often dominates a lot of the conversations, whether it’s family dinners, at the office, in school, or wherever it may be. This is what makes your friends at school. So it’s (competition between cricket and football) close. But, you know, my bias will say Aussie rules.” 

He’d love to have an opportunity to bring footy to India too. 

“It’d be fantastic if that could happen. One thing I certainly don’t underestimate is the power of sport to bring people together and cultures together. And I’ve dealt a little bit with AFL Aussie rules, football in different communities. My wife is Colombian and I have done a bit (promoting the sport) there. We’ve done a few clinics and seen Aussie rules teams come up there. It’s a glass ceiling waiting to be shattered. For the first step to be Melbourne in Victoria, which is easily one of the world’s best sporting cities, is a huge milestone. Who knows what will happen? I’d love to see an Aussie rules game played in India too.”