Telugu Yoddhas, the GMR Group-owned team, kicked off 2024 in style by defeating Rajasthan Warriors with a 34-27 scoreline at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack. This was the Yoddhas' second victory over the Warriors in Ultimate Kho Kho Season 2.
Captain Pratik Waikar and Aditya Ganpule shone brightly, earning their consecutive Best Attacker of the Match and Best Defender of the Match awards for their brilliance. With four wins out of six games played so far, Telugu Yoddhas stand third in the league standings with 12 points to their kitty. Telugu Yoddhas, who ended the last day of 2023 on a winning note, also started the first day of 2024 with another victory.
Telugu Yoddhas will next play against Mumbai Khiladis on January 3, 2024. The game will be telecast LIVE and exclusive on the Sony Sports Network and can be streamed LIVE on the SonyLIV platform from 7:30 PM onwards.
Winning the toss, Rajasthan Warriors allowed Telugu Yoddhas to attack first. Sourabh Adavkar opened the scorecard for the Yoddhas with a running touch. In Turn 1, Telugu Yoddhas earned points at regular intervals with the help of their captain and all-rounder, Pratik Waikar, and another all-rounder, Rahul Mandal, each earning points from the turn. The turn ended in their favour with a score line of 14-2. However, the Warrior scored 2 points with the help of a Dream Run.
The first batch of Telugu Yoddhas completed the Dream Run, earning a crucial point in the initial minutes of Turn 2 while they were on the defensive. The Yoddhas didn't stop there, as their defenders pressed hard and kept the Warriors' attackers at bay, securing yet another two Dream Run points with the help of their second batch. This allowed Telugu Yoddhas to stretch their lead and prevented their opponent's attacker from earning maximum points. The scorecard at the halfway mark read 17-12 in favour of the Yoddhas.
The second innings kicked off with Turn 3, where Telugu Yoddhas again took the mat as the attacking side. The Yoddhas attackers were so agile that it took them less than three minutes to eliminate two batches of their opponents. Capitalizing on their gained momentum, the Yoddhas attackers gathered back-to-back points through Sky Dives and running touches, setting a challenging target of 21 points for the Warriors for the last turn of the game. The scorecard still favored the Yoddhas at 33-17.
All that was required was to spend as much time as the defenders could, and the Yoddhas succeeded in their goal. Their first batch earned them one more point after running past the attackers continuously for the first three minutes of the last turn, taking the lead away from the Warriors. Telugu Yoddhas, who played like true warriors today, effectively defended their total and sealed yet another victory on New Year's Eve with a score of 34-27 over Rajasthan Warriors.
