BHUBANESWAR: Suraj Lande with a sensational skydive helped Odisha Juggernauts clinch the inaugural title of Ultimate Kho Kho after beating Telugu Yoddhas 46-45 in a thrilling final at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune on Sunday.
Juggernauts chose to defend and showcased brilliant skills to put challenge the league’s best-attacking side, Telugu Yoddhas. Coming into the first batch, the Odisha government-sponsored team’s Vishal defended for four minutes and 23 seconds to score eight bonus points for the Juggernauts and then skipper Dipesh More and Dilip Khandavi added two more points with their unbeaten stay of 2.37 minutes. With a remarkable defensive display, Juggernauts held the Yoddhas to 10-10 in the first turn.
Yoddhas, the first team to reach 100 defensive points in the tournament, responded well after switching positions as they not only restricted Juggernauts to 13 points but also added eight points with the help of Adarsh Mohite’s 4.12-minute defence. However, Odisha Juggernauts kept themselves ahead with a narrow 23-20 lead at the end of the nail-biting first innings.
After the Yoddhas managed to add 21 points in the third turn to take 41-27 lead, Sachin Bhargo provided two crucial points for his side and also kept Juggernauts at bay for 2.44 minutes. When he was dismissed, Yoddhas were in lead at 45-43 with just 1.24 minutes left in the match.
With just 14 seconds remaining in the game, Lande captured Avdhut Patil with a superb skydive that added three winning points for Juggernauts and helped them win the title. Champion Odisha Juggernauts were awarded Rs 1 crore prize money and also the coveted trophy while the second-placed Telugu Yoddhas took home Rs 50 lakh. Gujarat Giants received Rs 30 lakh prize money for their third-place finish.