Pune: Telugu Yoddhas, the GMR owned franchisee went down 39-48 to Odisha Juggernauts in match 23 of the inaugural season of the Ultimate Kho-Kho League. While Telugu Yoddhas were in the lead till Turn 3 failed to maintain their lead in the final turn, as the attackers of Odisha Juggernauts were on fire not only levelling their deficit but claiming a lead in the final few minutes of the game. Telugu Yoddhas are placed 3rd in the league standings with 4 wins and 13 points to their kitty.
Telugu Yoddhas will now face Gujarat Giants on 29th August, 2022 (Monday). The Match will broadcast LIVE & Exclusive on Sony Sports Network and LIVE streamed on Sony LIV platform 8:45 PM onwards.
Odisha Juggernauts who won the toss, chose defence while placing Telugu Yoddhas on attack. Telugu Yoddhas performed very well in Turn 1 without giving away any defenfer points. The turn came to an end with Telugu Yoddhas having a 20-0 lead over Odisha Juggernauts. Turn 2 also saw Telugu Yoddhas giving stiff challenge as Pratik Waikar beautifully completed a Dream-Run and earning two crucial defensive points for his team. While Odisha were on the prowl and claimed a few points Telugu Yoddhas still maintained their lead at the end of Turn 2 with the score line reading 22-18 in their favour.
The Turn 3 saw Odisha Juggernauts stage a strong comeback when their defender Vishal successfully accomplished a massive 6 pointer Dream-Run which not only helped Odisha remain alive along with reducing the points difference by a huge margin. Though the Turn ended 37-26 in Telugu Yoddhas favour but Odisha Juggernauts had a small target of 12 points to chase in the final turn of the game. Turn 4 saw Telugu Yoddhas start on a promising note with Avdhut Patil completing his Dream Run in the early moments of the turn, however given the chase margin was small Odisha Juggernauts easily claimed the lead with a few minutes to still go for the final turn. The game finally came to an end with Odisha Juggernauts winning the game 39-48.