- Odisha Juggernauts’ Subhasis Santra (38) and Durvesh Salunke (30) of Mumbai Khiladis are the other two best performing wazirs in Ultimate Kho Kho Season 1
- On Tuesday, the team will take on Chennai Quick Guns in their first meeting of the season. Chennai Quick Guns will come into the match with two back-to-back victories.
NE SPORTS BUREAU
PUNE, AUG 22
Gujarat Giants have been in red-hot form in the on-going inaugural edition of the Ultimate Kho Kho, having won three out of four games.
For their brilliant show, the Ranjan Shetty-led side is currently sitting on top of the points table with 10 points.
Though Gujarat Giants conceded their first defeat of the season against Odisha Juggernauts on Sunday, they still managed to retain their top position on the points table by earning a point with the margin of loss being just three points.
While Gujarat Giants are performing exceptionally well, attacker Abhinandan Patil has been playing a crucial role in their success this season.
The 21-year-old Kolhapur boy, Patil is among the top three wazirs in the tournament with 35 points. Odisha Juggernauts’ Subhasis Santra (38) and Durvesh Salunke (30) of Mumbai Khiladis are the other two best performing wazirs in Ultimate Kho Kho Season 1. Patil has won 24 touch points.
“It feels good to be one of the top performers in the league. I have scored these points with touch and I believe I can score more points with dives,” Patil said.
“We have a very good combination in the team with a good mix of senior and junior players. Though we lost the last match, we will make a good comeback in the next match.”
A member of the Indian team which clinched gold medal at the 2019 South Asian Games, Patil has also impressed in the defence by remaining not out on six occasions—the most for any player in the league so far.
Apart from Patil, skipper Ranjan Shetty, Suyash Gargate and Aniket Pote are the key performers for Gujarat Giants.
On Tuesday, the team will take on Chennai Quick Guns in their first meeting of the season. Chennai Quick Guns will come into the match with two back-to-back victories.
In another match of the day, Telugu Yoddhas will clash with Mumbai Khiladis.
Promoted by Amit Burman in collaboration with the Kho Kho Federation of India, India’s first-ever franchise-based Kho-Kho league has been taking place at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge, Pune, Maharashtra.
With six franchises—Chennai Quick Guns, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Khiladis, Odisha Juggernauts, Rajasthan Warriors and Telugu Yoddhas, fighting for the title, the Season 1 is being telecasted live on Sony Sports Network in five languages—SONY TEN 1 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi & Marathi) SONY TEN 4 (Telugu & Tamil) as well as streamed live on SonyLIV.
