Odisha Juggernauts have claimed a comprehensive and crucial 57-43 victory against Gujarat Giants to head into the final in the inaugural edition of Ultimate Kho Kho at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune on Friday.
Suraj Lande contributed for the Odisha Juggernauts’ win by earning 13 points, he dismissed five players, along with Dilip Khandavi, who brilliantly defended for 3.48 minutes in the final turn.
Abhinandhan Patil scored 10 points for Gujarat Giants. Despite losing by 14 points, Gujarat Giants still have a chance to seal their berth in the final as they will play the Telugu Yoddhas in the eliminator of the qualifier 2 on Saturday.
Odisha Juggernauts and the winner of qualifier 2 will fight for the title in the final, which will be played on Sunday.
In a much-anticipated battle between Top-2 teams of the league, Odisha Juggernauts began the game aggressively by claiming 23 points in the first turn. They played equally well when they switched to defence and allowed only 18 points to Gujarat Giants.
Moreover, Skipper Pratik Waikar’s brilliant performance helped Telugu Yoddhas knockout Chennai Quick Guns with a convincing win of 61-43 in the eliminator match.
