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Telugu Yoddhas held their nerves in the last 59 seconds to register a scintillating victory over the defending champions Odisha Juggernauts by 29-28 on Sunday in the Ultimate Kho Kho Season 2 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack.
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. Promoted by Kho Kho Federation of India, Ultimate Kho Kho became a huge hit in the first season, emerging as India's third-largest non-cricket league in terms of television viewership. It also became the first Indian sports league to secure Series A funding, courtesy of the UK-based BNP Group. 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 one-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 will take on Chennai Quick Guns on Monday, whereas Rajasthan Warriors will play against Telugu Yoddhas. The exciting action of Season 2 will be telecasted on Sony Sports Network's channels with live coverage of daily two matches starting at 7:30 PM IST. (ANI)
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