UKK Season 2: Telugu Yoddhas score a thrilling last-minute win over Odisha Juggernauts

CUTTACK: Telugu Yoddhas held their nerve in the last 59 seconds to register a scintillating victory over the defending champions Odisha Juggernauts by 29-28 in Season 2 of the Ultimate Kho Kho at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on Sunday.

In a see-saw battle, captain Pratik Waikar scored the most 10 points for the winning side, whereas Aditya Ganpule, Avdhut Patil and Akash Tagore stayed on the mat for more than 5 minutes to claim crucial dream run bonus points for Telugu Yoddhas.

Defending first, Odisha Juggernauts made a frantic start to the match and earned three dream run bonus points in the first turn of the contest. Telugu Yoddhas managed to clinch only 10 points before producing a sparkling performance in defence during the second turn.

The batch of Avdhut Patil, Pratik Waikar and Aditya Ganpule won four dream run bonus points for Telugu Yoddhas and Odisha could only take a mere 1-point lead in the first inning despite getting 12 points in attack.

Odisha then notched up a dream run bonus point during the third round, allowing the Yoddhas to earn 14 points in the attack.

The last turn witnessed a see-saw battle between the two teams and in the end, Odisha needed to eliminate a player for victory with only 59 seconds left on the clock. However, the Telugu Yoddhas defended effectively, securing a thrilling win to get three points.

Table-toppers Gujarat Giants take on Chennai Quick Guns on Monday, whereas Rajasthan Warriors will play against Telugu Yoddhas.