(Sports news) An all-rounder performance from Jaggannath Das handed Gujarat Giants a six-point win over Chennai Quick Guns while Mumbai Khiladis defeated Telugu Yoddhas by eight points in tUltimate Kho Kho at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune on Friday. Das secured 11 points for his defence of 3.42 minutes and two dismissals in the attack while Suyash Gargate supported him well with eight points.

On the other hand, Durvesh Salunke and Avik Singha were the top performers in Mumbai Khiladis’ win. Mumbai Khiladis began the game aggressively and took a 18-point lead in the first turn but Telugu Yoddhas did well and recovered well to level the scores 26-26 at the end of the first innings. However, Salunke led Mumbai Khiladis’ charge as he dismissed three players, adding seven points to regain the lead with the score of 50-26. Mumbai Khiladis once again proved their mettle when the second batch, comprising Abhishek Pathrode, skipper Vijay Hajare and Sreejesh S, spent more than three minutes on the field when it mattered the most but ultimately won the match

For Telugu Yoddhas, Avdhut Patil impressed everyone with 10 points. Earlier in the first match, Gujarat Giants’ captain Ranjan Shetty opted to defend as they not only bagged eight points but also restricted the Yoddhas to 19 points in the first seven minutes of the match, thanks to Nilesh Jadhav and Abhinandhan Patil, who all scored four bonus points each. Gujarat Giants maintained their lead in the second turn by adding 18 points as they took a 26-23 lead at half time despite Chennai Quick Guns skipper Amit Patil defending for 3.12 minutes.

Das showcased some splendid defensive skills in the third turn and scored six bonus points for his stay of 3.42 minutes. Chennai Quick Guns could finish the third turn with just a 10 point lead at 42-32. Once again it was Das who dismissed the opposition defender Mahesh Shinde with an impressive skydive to hand Gujarat Giants a winning lead in the crucial final turn before they won the match with a scoreline of 50-44. Chennai Quick Guns will look to bounce back when they face Rajasthan Warriors on Saturday while Odisha Juggernauts will aim to make the playoffs against Mumbai Khiladis in the second encounter. 

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