Telugu Yoddhas, the GMR Group-owned team, will aim to end their season on a high by securing a podium finish when they face the home side Odisha Juggernauts in the third-place match of Ultimate Kho Kho Season 2.
The Yoddhas, the runners-up in the inaugural season, narrowly missed out by just two points to Chennai Quick Guns in the semi-finals with a score of 29-31 in a closely fought encounter. On the other hand, Odisha lost another closely contested semi-final with a score of 27-29 against Gujarat Giants. Interestingly, both Yoddhas and Juggernauts met in the finals of the inaugural season.
The third-place match between Telugu Yoddhas and Odisha Juggernauts will be played on January 13, 2024 (Saturday). The game will be telecast LIVE and exclusive on the Sony Sports Network and can be streamed LIVE on the SonyLIV platform from 7:00 PM onwards.
In the league stages, each team won one match against the other, making the third-place playoffs an even matchup.
Ahead of the match, Pratik Waikar, Captain Telugu Yoddhas, said, “We are not very happy with the result of losing in such a close manner in the semi-finals. But this is a sport, and we must be professional in our match for third place against Odisha. Finishing on the podium is still a very good result for us, and we hope to put out one more wholehearted performance to get a positive result”.
In the ongoing season, the Yoddhas currently hold the second and third positions on the statistical charts for Team Attacking Points (322) and Team Total Points (359), respectively. They are the only team to execute an All-out on their opponents twice.
Captain Pratik Waikar has led from the front, finding himself at the top of the Top Wazirs table with 66 Wazir points and the Total Pole Dives table with 13 Pole Dives in the second season. He follows closely in the Top Attackers table, occupying the second position with 66 points.
On the defensive front, Aditya Ganpule impressively spent 20 minutes and 56 seconds on the mat in as many matches as possible, securing the second-best defender position for the season. The 21-year-old Aditya has earned the Best Defender of the Match award four times, impressing everyone with his stellar performance.
