Gajanan Shengal of Mumbai made a strong offensive impression, scoring 16 points to help Mumbai defeat Rajasthan Warriors by eight points.
In the opening round of Ultimate Kho Kho, Mumbai Khiladis and Odisha Juggernauts both won by identical margins of eight points on Monday at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune.
Odisha Juggernauts opened their season with a 51-43 victory over Chennai Quick Guns, while Mumbai Khiladis defeated Rajasthan Warriors by eight points in their second league game.
Gajanan Shengal of Mumbai made a strong impression during the attack, scoring 16 points on two pole dives and one skydive.
Vijay Hajare, Rohan Kore, and Avik Singha, together with skipper Mumbai Khiladis, called the toss and decided to defend. In the first match of the game, Nikhil scored for Rajasthan by capturing Hajare, and the batch was eliminated in the ensuing half-minute. Faizankha Pathan, a member of Mumbai’s third batch, displayed outstanding defence to maintain her perfect record, but Rajasthan Warriors led 18-4 at the end of the first half.
Mumbai Khiladis maintained their aggressiveness as they switched to attacking, taking three batches from the opposition to end the opening innings with 29-20 in their favour.
Rajasthan scored 21 points during the onslaught to go into halftime leading by eight points, 41-33.
Mumbai, nevertheless, responded brilliantly, scoring 18 points in the decisive period to win the match 51–43.
In contrast, Odisha Juggernauts got off to a strong start against Chennai Quick Guns in the second game of the day, leading 20-2 after the opening turn.
Odisha once again grabbed control of the game and easily won it in the end by scoring 27 points in the second innings. Chennai attempted to make a comeback by earning 19 points in the second turn.
Gujarat Giants will play Odisha Juggernauts on Tuesday, while Telugu Yoddhas will play Rajasthan Warriors.
Prasanta Patnaik