Odisha is inaugural Ultimate Kho Kho winner

CHENNAI: Suraj Lande came up with a match-winning sky dive as Odisha Juggernauts clinched the inaugural Ultimate Kho Kho title by edging out Telugu Yoddhas 46-45 in the thrilling final at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune on Sunday.

With just a minute and 24 seconds left on the clock, Yoddhas led 45-43, but Lande powered Juggernauts to victory in the end. When there were only 14 seconds remaining, he captured Avdhut Patel with a superb sky dive to not only hand his team a one-point (46-45) lead but also the crown. With the triumph, the Odisha team became richer by Rs 1 crore.

Juggernauts produced a remarkable defensive display at the start of the match and was level with Yoddhas at 10-10 at the end of the first turn. After switching positions, the Telugu team restricted Odisha to just 13 points in the second turn. Despite its best efforts, which included a 4.12-minute defence from Adarsh Mohite, Yoddhas was down by three points (20-23) at the conclusion of the first innings.

However, in the third and penultimate turn, the Telugu side collected 20 points to hold a 14-point (41-27) advantage. But, Sachin Bhargo kept Odisha in the hunt in the final turn.

RESULT: Final: Odisha Juggernauts 46 bt Telugu Yoddhas 45

TOURNAMENT AWARDS: Best attacker – Abhinandhan Patil (Gujarat Giants); Best defender – Deepak Madhav (Telugu Yoddhas); Player of the tournament – Ramji Kashyap (Chennai Quick Guns)