Pune: Odisha Juggernauts clinched the title of the first edition of Ultimate Kho Kho after beating Telugu Yoddhas by 46-45 in a thrilling final match held at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex at Pune in Maharashtra on Sunday.
Suraj Lande’s sensational skydive helped Odisha Juggernauts clinch the first title of the inaugural edition.
After Telugu Yoddhas added 21 points in the third turn to take a 41-27 lead, Sachin Bhargo provided two crucial points for his side and kept Odisha Juggernauts at bay for 2.44 minutes. When he was dismissed, Telugu Yoddhas were in lead at 45-43 with just 1.24 minutes left in the match.
However, Lande, who tested the defence of Telugu Yoddhas with his stay of 3.03 minutes in the third turn, had different plans for Odisha Juggernauts. With just 14 seconds remaining in the game, he captured Avdhut Patil with a superb skydive that added three winning points for Odisha Juggernauts and helped them win the title.
Lande scored nine points in attack for the winning side while Rohan Shingade secured 11 points for Telugu Yoddhas.
Earlier, popular Bollywood singer Mohit Chauhan sang the national anthem in style to kickstart the blockbuster final. The Lions Crew, which won a bronze medal in the 2021 World Hip Hop Dance Championship, also exhibited a dazzling performance celebrating India’s first-ever franchise-based Kho-Kho league.
Champion Odisha Juggernauts were awarded a whopping Rs 1 crore prize money and also the coveted trophy while the second-placed Telugu Yoddhas took home Rs 50 lakhs.
Gujarat Giants bagged Rs 30 lakh as prize money for their third-place finish.
Ultimate Kho Kho is promoted by Amit Burman in collaboration with the Kho Kho Federation of India.
Six teams, Chennai Quick Guns, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Khiladis, Odisha Juggernauts, Rajasthan Warriors, and Telugu Yoddhas competed over 22 days in Season 1.