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Talented kabaddi players from across Maharashtra are getting to showcase their skills with the second edition of Krantijyoti Mahila Pratishthan Yuva Kabaddi Series Inter District Youth League 2024 being held at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi from March 5 to April 6.
The high-octane Yuva Kabaddi Series is a premier all-year-round tournament that is known for hand-picking aspiring young kabaddi players and moulding them into future stars since its inception in 2022. Currently, the tournament is organised under the aegis of the Maharashtra State Kabaddi Association and alongside Krantijyoti Mahila Pratishthan, who have a strong presence in the State. The opening ceremony witnessed Sanjay Bansode, the Sports Minister, of the Government of Maharashtra and Rupali Chakankar, Chairperson, of Maharashtra Women Commission, President, of NCP Women's Wing and President of Krantijyot Mahila Pratishthan was also present as the special women's exhibition match was held before the beginning of the Maharashtra leg from Tuesday. A total of 16 teams, comprising over 200 under-23 players below the 80 kg weight category, will face off in an exciting custom-made tournament format that will give all teams a chance of making it to the final rounds of the month-long tournament that will witness a total of 125 matches played in three stages. "Our first Maharashtra exclusive edition held in April 2023 was a grand success and the response we got from across the state this year has been overwhelming. The primary goal of the Yuva Kabaddi Series is to shape the future of Indian kabaddi and the number of players graduating from the Series to the Pro Kabaddi League is a testament to the success of this program," said Vikas Gautam, CEO of Yuva Kabaddi Series as quoted by a press release. "From among the 321 players who participated in the Maharashtra Exclusive Edition of the Yuva Kabaddi Series in 2023, 14 have already been drafted in the Pro Kabaddi League 2024. Maharashtra has a rich history of kabaddi players and we are confident that the current edition of Yuva Kabaddi Series will unearth many more stars over the next month," he added. Defending champions Ahmednagar will kick off their campaign against Mumbai Shahar in the opening match with four matches to be played every day during the first two stages of competition. According to the format of the tournament, the 16 teams will be divided into two pools in the preliminary rounds and will compete in a single round-robin format. The top four teams from each pool will then move to the promotion round while the bottom four will go to the relegation Round. While only the top two teams in the relegation round will make it to the summit round, all the eight teams in the Promotion Round will have a chance to stake a claim for the title with their position in the pool defining their path to the final. (ANI)
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