Pune (Maharastra) [India]: Skipper Prajwal KH and Sachin Bhargo put up solid performances as Telugu Yoddhas clinched a convincing win against Mumbai Khiladis by 12 points in the inaugural edition of Ultimate Kho Kho at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge, Pune, Maharashtra on Tuesday.
Leading from the front, Prajwal defended for three minutes and one second while Bhargo recorded all-round show with 10 points in attack and three minutes and 47 seconds in the defence to hand Mumbai Khiladis their third successive defeat with a 55-43 score. Rohan Shingade and Adarsh Mohite were the other two best performers for the winning side as they contributed with 11 and eight points respectively.
Season’s best defender Durvesh Salunke, proved his mettle once again for Mumbai Khiladis with a sensational defence time of five minutes and 11 seconds, including two minutes of the first innings. Salunke also scored six points in the attack while Avik Singh was the other top performer for Mumbai Khiladis with eight points.
With this win, Telugu Yoddhas went past Gujarat Giants to take top position on the points table with 12 points.
Gujarat Giants, however, have 10 points to their name from four games with a chance to regain the No. 1 position when they take on Chennai Quick Guns later tonight.
Telugu Yoddhas, who came into the match after a massive win over Rajasthan Warriors in their last game, started off aggressively and dismissed 10 opposition defenders within the first seven minutes of the match to take a 26-0 lead. Bhargo led the charge for Telugu Yoddhas by scoring 10 which included four dismissals.
Switching positions, Avdhut Patel won two bonus points for Telugu Yoddhas in the defence by spending two minutes 46 seconds and later Arun Gunki ensured their team finish the first innings at 28-20 with his two-minute unbeaten stay.
In-form Salunke put his best to help Mumbai Khiladis fightback by not only securing four bonus points with a defence of three minutes and 11 seconds but also restricted Telugu Yoddhas to just 23 points.
However, with enough lead in their favour at 51-24, Prajwal, returning from an injury that forced him to miss the last game, ensured his side complete the win by spending more than three minutes on the field.
Later tonight, Chennai Quick Guns will look to complete a hat-trick of wins against a strong Gujarat Giants team in the second encounter of the day.
On Wednesday, Odisha Juggernauts and Mumbai Khiladis will take on Chennai Quick Guns and Rajasthan Warriors respectively in the first and second match.
Six franchises, Chennai Quick Guns, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Khiladis, Odisha Juggernauts, Rajasthan Warriors and Telugu Yoddhas, have been competing in Season 1. Ultimate Kho Kho is promoted by Amit Burman in collaboration with the Kho Kho Federation of India.
The final of India’s first-ever franchise-based Kho-Kho league will be played on September 4.
