In this article, a new optimization technique known as Kho-Kho optimization (KKO) algorithm is presented. This proposed technique is a population based meta-heuristic method which is inspired from the strategies used by players in a well known tag-team game played in India, i.e. Kho-Kho. The performance and superiority of the proposed method with respect to other existing methods is evaluated using twenty nine benchmark functions and real-time optimization problems related to power system i.e. combined emission economic dispatch and combined heat and power economic dispatch problem. • This paper presents a new Kho-Kho optimization algorithm (KKO). • KKO is inspired by a well-known tag-team game played in India known as Kho-Kho. • KKO mimics the strategies used by a chasing team to catch the runners of a running team. • Twenty-nine benchmark functions are used to test the performance of the proposed algorithm. • Further, KKO is used to solve real-time optimization problems of power system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]