Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium: Telugu Yoddhas, put up a brave fight on Monday but went down 32-38 to the Chennai Quick Guns in their second match of Ultimate Kho Kho Season 2. The Yoddhas, the GMR Group-owned franchise who started their campaign on a winning note on Sunday, faced their first loss of the season at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Cuttack. For the Yoddhas, captain Pratik Waikar and Adithya Ganpule were the joint-highest scorers with eight points each from the game.
Telugu Yoddhas will next play against Rajasthan Warriors on Wednesday.
After winning the toss, Telugu Yoddhas decided to take the mat as the defending side for the first Turn of the game. Chennai Quick Guns earned some early points in quick succession, with the majority (12) coming through running touches.
However, the Yoddhas came back stronger, preventing their opponents from eliminating all four batches. By the end of the first Turn, the scorecard favoured the Quick Guns at 18-0.
The Turn 2 of the first innings saw Telugu Yoddhas attacking for the first time in the game. Adhitya Ganpule and Dhruv each earned 4 points through their attacking skills, leading the score chart for their side.
However, some unforced errors by the Yoddhas later in the same turn hindered their ability to capitalize on the momentum gained in the initial minutes. This restriction limited them to earning 14 points by the halfway mark, while the scorecard read 14-21 in favour of the Chennai side.
The Quick Guns also managed to secure 3 crucial points through a Dream Run.
The second inning began with Turn 3, where Telugu Yoddhas came back stronger, tasked with limiting their opponent from scoring maximum points, and they succeeded in their aim. Captain Pratik Waikar showcased his mettle by completing a Dream Run, earning two crucial points for the Yoddhas. With their brilliance, the Yoddhas restricted the Quick Guns to earn 16 points. The turn came to an end with the scorecard reading 16-37 in favour of the latter.
The final turn of the game began with the Yoddhas chasing down the target of 22 points for a victory. However, Telugu Yoddhas kicked off the turn on a promising note pressing hard but could not sustain their momentum as the game came to an end with Telugu Yoddhas going down 32-38 to Chennai Quick Guns.
