Kumar Vijay re-elected AKFI joint secretary

Patna, April 23, 2017: Bihar State Kabaddi Association secretary Kumar Vijay has been re-elected as joint secretary of Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) in its general body meeting held in Jaipur on Sunday.

Dr Mridul Bhadoria and Dinesh Patel have been re-elected as president and secretary respectively.

Other office-bearers: KE Prabhakar (chairman, Andhra Pradesh), Subrato Mukherjee (Bengal), Kishore Patil (Maharashtra), Bhubaneswar Kalita (Assam),  Niranjan Singh -Delhi (all vice presidents), Gyaneshwar Mudiraj Kasani-Telangana (treasurer), SS Lakkad (MP), Kuldeep Gupta (J&K), A Safiullah (TN) and Rukmini B Kamath-TN (all joint secretaries).

Bihar kabaddi teams for Senior National announced

Patna, November 21, 2015: Bihar State Kabaddi Association announced state teams for the Senior National Championships to be held in Bengaluru from November 24 to 29.

Men: Bhavesh Kumar (captain), Chandra Bhushan Singh, Nandan Kumar Mishra (all Begusarai), Neelkamal, Avinash, Kumar Gaurav (Patna), Santosh  Kumar Singh, Ramesh Kumar Yadav (Patna) , Abhinav Kumar Singh (Vaishali), Anand Kumar Singh (Bhojpur), Arman (Khagaria), Abhishek Kumar (Muzaffarpur). Coach-Ramji Upadhyay (Bihar Police), Manager, Rajesh Kumar (Munger).

Women: Remy Kumari (captain), Komal Kumari, Riti Kumari, Rupam Kumari, Sarita Kumari (all Begusarai), Shama Parveen, Komal Kumar, Varsha Kumari ( all Patna), Jayashree Kumari, Suman Kumari (Buxar), Pragati Singh (Vaishali), Kirti Kumari (Chapra). Caoch-Rajiv Kumar Singh (East Central Railway); Manager-Saket (Patna). 

Telugu Titans thrash Bengal Warriors

Hyderabad, August 5, 2015: A stupendous team effort helped Telugu Titans record the biggest win (in terms of point margin – 24 points) in Season 2 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi today here at the Gachibowli stadium. The Titans with this win take their tally to 34 points to maintain the second position on the table. The warriors remain seventh on the table above Puneri Paltan. The Titans scored two all-outs or ‘lonas’, both in the first half. The first one put them up 12-4 and the next put them up 25-8 and firmly in the driver’s seat by the 18th minute.

For the Titans, they had come prepared after the unexpected draw yesterday against the holders Jaipur Pink Panthers. For the Warriors from the east it was their lone ranger Mahendra Rajput who put up a superb show of defiance. His tally of 14 raid points and 2 bonus points tells the story of his brave but futile struggle. The tall Maharashtra cop proved difficult for the Titans to arrest. He had a super raid to boot in his fight in a lost cause.

And how well did they execute the plans? If Rahul Chaudhari contributed 16 raid points with one super raid. Deepak Niwas Hudda showed his mettle as an all-rounder came up with five raiding and tackle points each. Then there was Mr. Consistent Sukesh Hegde always ready to shoulder the responsibility of the do-or die raids. His excellent footwork in stealing bonus points and the turn and tumble escape were techniques worth watching, especially for any aspiring youngster. Sukesh also showed his proficiency at the dive beneath the chain while returning safely.

As if this exhibition was not enough the 18-year Sandeep Kandola yet again showed why he is being hailed the next super star. He was a rock in the path of rival raiders who were trying to escape. The Iranian Meraj Sheykh led the side admirably and combined well with the rest of the defence to literally negate the Warriors attack of Dinesh Kumar and Vineet Kumar.

The former’s comeback hasn’t been on expected lines. Today he had three empty raids and after he was caught he was replaced. Vineet Kumar’s inability to get a single point till his eleventh raid also showed the weakness in the Bengal attack. Today’s loss weaken the Warriors’ chances of a revival in the league.

MATCH 31 – TELUGU TITANS VS BENGAL WARRIORS

No.	Award	Player/Team
1	TVS BEST RAIDER OF THE MATCH	MAHENDRA GANESH RAJPUT (BENGAL WARRIORS)
2	BAJAJ ELECTRICAL INSPIRING DEFENDER OF THE MATCH	DEEPAK NIVAS HUDDA (TELUGU TITANS)
3	TVS TYRES MOMENT OF THE MATCH	RAHUL CHAUDHARI (TELUGU TITANS)
4	VIP FRENCHIE BIG IMPRESSION PLAYER OF THE MATCH	SANDEEP (TELUGU TITANS)
5	FLIPKART AUDIENCE KI WISH PLAYER OF THE MATCH	RAHUL CHAUDHARI (TELUGU TITANS)

Press release

U Mumba continue their winning streak

Hyderabad, August 4, 2015: Nothing seems to be going wrong for U Mumba in Season 2 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi. Today at the Gachibowli Stadium they scripted their eighth straight victory in their usual fashion by beating Dabang Delhi 29-25. It was an inspired show from their ‘captain cool’, Anup Kumar who shepherded his side towards the end with his calculated empty raids that ate valuable time.

He had earlier put his side ahead 25-20 with the help of the do-or-die raid specialist Rishank Devadiga, after Mumba trailed for most of the match. It was a memorable day for him as he also crossed the 200 point mark as a raider.

Dabang Delhi after trailing initially at 9-10 managed to equalize and went on to score a ‘lona’ at the stroke of half-time. The tall raiding duo of star player Kashiling Adake and new inductee Dadaso Awad troubled the Mumba defence no end.  Kashiling had 4 points with a bonus and Dadaso got 3 to do the bulk of scoring. In defence captain Ravinder Singh Pahal manning the right corner for Delhi was always a threat.

U Mumba decided not to field their premier raider Shabeer Bapu Sharfudeen. And although he is not in good form one felt his presence would have had some effect on the opponents. Finally all is well that ends well as always and Mumba came out unscathed.

The U Mumba defence came to life in the last ten minutes of the match. Probably inspired by rival captain Ravinder, both Jeeva Kumar and Vishal Mane effected tackle after tackle to take the game away from their opponents.

In the closing couple of minutes Jeeva caught Sandeep Tomar and Vishal like a wrestler and single handedly threw Kashiling Adake out of the arena to finish the contest with the score reading 28-22 in Mumba’s favour.

Speaking about his side’s fortunes in the post match press conference, Anup looked optimistic. “I did not have the best game but it is encouraging to see the team perform even in those circumstances. I am very happy that the team has managed to string together so many victories. We hope to continue putting in similar performance and go on winning.”

MATCH 30 – U MUMBA VS DABANG DELHI

No.	Award	Player/Team
1	TVS BEST RAIDER OF THE MATCH	ANUP KUMAR (U MUMBA)
2	BAJAJ ELECTRICAL INSPIRING DEFENDER OF THE MATCH	VISHAL MANE (U MUMBA)
3	TVS TYRES MOMENT OF THE MATCH	RISHANK DEVADIGA (U MUMBA)
4	VIP FRENCHIE BIG IMPRESSION PLAYER OF THE MATCH	DADASO BALASO AWAD (DABANG DELHI)
5	FLIPKART AUDIENCE KI WISH PLAYER OF THE MATCH	ROHIT KUMAR CHOUDHARY (DABANG DELHI)

Press release

Telugu Titans play a draw against Pink Panthers

Hyderabad, August, 4, 2015: Telugu Titans managed to claw back from defeat to hold a resurgent Jaipur Pink Panthers 39-39 in a match that would have gone either way. With this the teams earned three points a piece in Season 2 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi. The Titans remain in second place with 29 points and the Panthers with 16 remain in sixth place. In the first half of Season 2, when the two team met in Jaipur, Telugu Titans had beaten the Pink Panthers 33-22.

The hero of today’s humdinger was undoubtedly the tall Sonu Narwal who was trapped just once by the rival defence. He had a whopping tally of 13 points including three bonus points. And most of them came in the second half as he ran through the Titans to help his side inflict an all-out within ten minutes of resumption after the local side led 20-12 at the break. The score stood at 29-27 to give hopes to the visitors.

Earlier, in the first half, a fine show by Sukesh Hegde had put Titans in a good position with an all-out within seven minutes. He started with a super raid of three points and followed with a couple in another raid.

On the other side Jaipur’s star Jasvir Singh went pointless in the first half as he was time and again successfully tackled by the Iranian duo of Meraj Sheykh and Hadi Oshtorak and Sandeep Kandola. The latter was in full cry and showed why he is dreaded by rival raiders.

Rahul Chaudhari too was his usual self. Having started confidently before the break he pocketed seven points in the latter half. His heroics brought his team back from the brink of defeat. Having been dismissed by their rivals for the second time when they were trailing 34-39, the Titans held their nerve with Sukesh Hegde too pulling his weight. He got two points in the dying minutes which proved crucial in the ultimate analysis.

Jaipur made silly mistakes towards the end and failed to hold on to the lead. Jasvir was caught by Hadi and after two empty raids Rajesh Narwal was caught by Sandeep. It left the Panthers with just a one point advantage. But the impressive Rahul got the vital equalizer. Jasvir who was in next went in and returned under the impression that his team had won the match. It was a terrible mistake by the Panthers who all got it wrong. In the end it was a fair result for both.

MATCH 29 – TELUGU TITANS VS JAIPUR PINK PANTHERS

No.	Award	Player/Team
1	TVS BEST RAIDER OF THE MATCH	SONU NARWAL (JAIPUR PINK PANTHERS)
2	BAJAJ ELECTRICAL INSPIRING DEFENDER OF THE MATCH	HADI OSHTORAK (TELUGU TITANS)
3	TVS TYRES MOMENT OF THE MATCH	SONU NARWAL (JAIPUR PINK PANTHERS)
4	VIP FRENCHIE BIG IMPRESSION PLAYER OF THE MATCH	KULDEEP SINGH (JAIPUR PINK PANTHERS)
5	FLIPKART AUDIENCE KI WISH PLAYER OF THE MATCH	RAHUL CHAUDHARI (TELUGU TITANS)

Press release

Patna Pirates earn hard-fought draw against Bengal Warriors

Patna, August 2, 2015: Patna Pirates held Bengal Warriors 20-20 for the first draw in Season 2 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi. A match that rose above the ordinary towards the end. The proceedings were heightened by substitute Gurvinder Singh after he came on after the break with his side trailing 9-12. The Warriors relied on the South Korean Jang Kun Lee who contributed five points with a bonus to boot as he kept his side in the fray with a raid that fetched two points.

The first drawn game in Season 2 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi gave three points each to the contestants. As a result Patna remains in fourth place with 20 points and Bengal move over Pune in seventh spot. They have 11 points in their kitty.

Sandeep Narwal, the home team’s captain failed to inspire his side as he with Ravi Dalal and Deepak Narwal and Dinesh and his fellow raiders failed to register a single point in the first ten minutes.

 It was Vineet Sharma of the Warriors came up with the first raid point when he touched left corner Sunil Kumar taking the score to 4-3 in favour of the Warriors. With Dinesh getting out twice and Ravi Dalal and Deepak Narwal getting into the scoring act the scoreboard started moving albeit at a snail’s pace.

The second half was slightly better with Gurvinder showing a sense of urgency and Mahendra Rajput the tall Maharashtra cop who had replaced Dinesh scoring three there was something to shout for the spectators. Overall it the match ended on a better note for the hosts as the staved of defeat with Jan Kun Lee getting trapped during a do-or –die raid with his team having a 20-19 advantage. The three points earned by Patna helped them remain in the top four and on course for a semi-final berth.

In the post-match press conference, stand-in captain Sandeep Narwal spoke in brief about the end of their home leg. “We are slightly disappointed that we could not finish with a win. A draw was a fair result considering how strong Bengal was tonight. The crowd support has been superb and was one of the main reasons that we were able to turn around the results after the first loss in the home leg vs Telugu Titans. We will be aiming to continue our good performances from here and win as many matches as possible.”

MATCH 28 – PATNA PIRATES VS BENGAL WARRIORS

No.	Award	Player/Team
1	TVS BEST RAIDER OF THE MATCH	GURVINDER SINGH (PATNA PIRATES)
2	BAJAJ ELECTRICAL INSPIRING DEFENDER OF THE MATCH	SUNIL (PATNA PIRATES)
3	PATNA PIRATES MOMENT OF THE MATCH	SUNIL (PATNA PIRATES)
4	VIP FRENCHIE BIG IMPRESSION PLAYER OF THE MATCH	VINEET SHARMA (BENGAL WARRIORS)
5	FLIPKART AUDIENCE KI WISH PLAYER OF THE MATCH	SANDEEP NARWAL (PATNA PIRATES)

Press release 

Pink Panthers back to winning ways

Patna, August 2, 2015: Displaying their might in the raiding department, title holders Jaipur Pink Panthers halted the march of a fighting Puneri Paltan led by the talented Pravin Niwale for their second win in Season 2 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi at the Pataliputra Stadium here. The Panthers won 35-29 after an intense struggle that provided complete entertainment to the enthusiastic Patna crowd. 

The winners leading 19-13 at half time, finally maintained their winning margin. The teams exchanged positions on the league table, with the Panthers going up to sixth with 13 points above their rivals who have 10 to their credit.

Both the teams made drastic changes in their line ups with Pune handing over the mantle of captaincy to Pravin in the absence of Wazir Singh. Pune coach Ashok Shinde introduced Tushar Patil from the start and the youngster proved his coach right with his display. Jaipur brought back Navneet Gautam but dispensed with him after the first quarter as he fell prey twice once to Amit Rathi who too met with little success. Comparatively Sonu Narwal exhibited his class with a super raid to put his side ahead 7-4 early on. Pune retaliated with asuper tackle on Rajesh Narwal to narrow the gap.

With Jasvir also stepping up the tempo to claim three victims in three raids the Panthers came close to inflicting an all-out. Their intentions were however sabotaged by Pravin for some time. He first came up with a bonus plus one victim and next claimed two but that was turned down after an unsuccessful referral. With the one he got he brought the margin down at 8-11. But Pune had to face the inevitable with Jasvir netting in two and as Amit was caught after Pravin’s dismissal the winners went ahead at 15-10 with the all-out in the 14th minute.

The second half saw Panthers keeping abreast with Rajesh scoring a brace to then end with eight valuable points inclusive of two catching points. Jasvir also kept his momentum going to increase his tally to seven in 12 raids. Sonu Narwal ended with seven in a dozenraids with his intelligently taken bonus points and effective high kicks.

For Pune, Pravin kept the flag flying but he didn’t have much support although Sanjay Kumar and substitute Mahipal Narwal got two and three points respectively. In the end the fall of Pravin with a couple of minutes after getting Jasvir but falling to a super tackle by Rajesh, Pune’s hopes vanished in thin air.

MATCH 27 – PUNERI PALTAN VS JAIPUR PINK PANTHERS

No.	Award	Player/Team
1	TVS BEST RAIDER OF THE MATCH	PRAVIN NIWALE (PUNERI PALTAN)
2	BAJAJ ELECTRICAL INSPIRING DEFENDER OF THE MATCH	KULDEEP SINGH (JAIPUR PINK PANTHERS)
3	PATNA PIRATES MOMENT OF THE MATCH	KULDEEP SINGH (JAIPUR PINK PANTHERS)
4	VIP FRENCHIE BIG IMPRESSION PLAYER OF THE MATCH	RAJESH NARWAL (JAIPUR PINK PANTHERS)
5	FLIPKART AUDIENCE KI WISH PLAYER OF THE MATCH	JASVIR SINGH (JAIPUR PINK PANTHERS)

Press release

Pirates post second straight win in Patna leg of Pro Kabaddi

Patna, August 1, 2015: Patna Pirates, boosted by their convincing victory yesterday over Dabang Delhi, managed yet another win today in Season 2 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi today. They managed to subdue Puneri Paltan 32-28 with a total team effort in the absence of their leader Rakesh Kumar. Sandeep Narwal, Deepak Narwal and Ravi Dalal were at the forefront of the hosts’ attack which eventually clinched them the issue. This gives them a tally of 17 points with three wins and pushes them up the table at fourth place. Pune by virtue of a point have a tally of nine points now.

The limelight was deservingly hogged by Pune raider Pravin Niwale who is growing in stature with every outing. The slightly built man with his twinkle toes and deceptive hand touches scored nine points and was instrumental in forcing an all-out which was confirmed through a video referral. He kept his team in the hunt till the end. The half-time score of 13-20 for Pune was worrying as their prime raider Wazir Singh was caught time and again. Wazir could hardly muster four raid points on the day but contributed two catching points to make up some lost ground.

Things changed after the break as Patna had all its raiders warming the bench. Pune gradually whittled down the lead to finally get an all-out and make it 24-25. But the winners aware of this kept themselves ahead with substitute Gurvinder Singh getting a couple of bonus points. At the ‘final five’ stage- 35th minute to be precise the situation was 29-26 in favour of the Pirates with Niwale still troubling them no end. He got a touch on Sandeep Narwal to keep the pressure but a bonus by Ravi Dalal and Wazir’s inability to pull out anything special finally gave the Pirates a victory to keep their quest for a top finish going.

At the post match press conference, stand-in captain Sandeep Narwal was appreciative of the home support Patna Pirates have been getting. “The support from the crowd here in Patna has been fantastic and it has given us the confidence to build on our good performances. We are looking to push ahead from here because the team is doing very well and we want to continue this good run.”

Looking ahead to the final match tomorrow in the Patna leg, vs Bengal Warriors, Sandeep was hopeful of a good showing. “They (Bengal Warriors) are a good unit and they have pushed all the teams that they have played so far to the line. We will not get carried away with these two victories that we have earned at home. Each team has to be treated with respect and so we will formulate our strategy based on their starting lineup tomorrow.”

MATCH 26 – PATNA PIRATES VS PUNERI PALTAN

No.	Award	Player/Team
1	TVS BEST RAIDER OF THE MATCH	PRAVIN NIWALE (PUNERI PALTAN)
2	BAJAJ ELECTRICAL INSPIRING DEFENDER OF THE MATCH	AMIT HOODA (PATNA PIRATES)
3	PATNA PIRATES MOMENT OF THE MATCH	PRAVIN NIWALE (PUNERI PALTAN)
4	VIP FRENCHIE BIG IMPRESSION PLAYER OF THE MATCH	RAVI DALAL (PATNA PIRATES)
5	DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY DUMDAAR ATOM AWARD	AMIT HOODA (PATNA PIRATES)
6	FLIPKART AUDIENCE KI WISH PLAYER OF THE MATCH	SANDEEP NARWAL (PATNA PIRATES)

Press release

Patna Pirates trounce Dabang Delhi in Pro Kabaddi League

Patna Pirates (yellow and green)  beat Dabang Delhi 39-22 in their Pro Kabaddi League Season 2 match at the Patliputra Sports Complex hall in Patna on July 31, 2015.
Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

Bengaluru Bulls too good for Telugu Titans

Manjeet Chhillar of Bengaluru Bulls pushes out Deepak Nivas Hudda of Telugu Titans during their Pro Kabaddi League match in Patna on July 31, 2015

Patna, July 31, 2015: Bengaluru Bulls put up a grand performance, both in attack where Ajay Thakur stood out and the defence led by captain Manjeet Chhillar showed what team work is all about to floor Telugu Titans 35-21. At the Pataliputra Stadium here, Ajay Thakur ran away with the match with a super raid that put his side firmly in the saddle at 30-18 with three minutes for the buzzer. The win helps the Bulls to conclude the first half of Season 2 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi with five wins for a tally of 25 points staying in third spot. Titans stay in second position with 26 points.

Earlier, it was a close tussle for supremacy in the first half where the winners ended with a 12-9 lead by escaping an all out. It was substitute Rakesh Narwal who brought about the turn around. The tall lad got a toe touch on an opponent to start the revival. This major lapse on the part of the Titans proved costly in hindsight.

The Bulls defence of veteran Dharmaraj Cheralathan and Gurpreet Singh, the latter replacing Joginder Narwal, manned the corners admirably. This pressurised the rival raiders and kept them at bay. That the Titans could get just five raid points with Rahul getting three was the most they achieved.

Yesterday’s hero Sukesh Hegde also committed two grave errors. He was out once stepping out of court and the next time failed to realise it was a do-or-die raid and had to leave. This hurt the Titans badly. The score now stands 3-0 in favour of the bulls in the league. They had beaten their rivals both times last year.

Bengaluru Bulls having been let off the hook came back to demolish the Titans. Rakesh Narwal kicked out Deepak Nivas Hudda in style to put him out. Rakesh next used his height to get a bonus to keep the momentum going.

As the game began to slip away from the Titans’ grasp, Sandeep stood out with some brilliant tackles and ankle holds – a bright light in the midst of the defeat for the Titans. With the Bengaluru Bulls defence holding strong, the Titans weren’t able to stage a comeback. The Titans can now take heart that their next game in the second half of Season 2 will be in their home leg in Hyderabad. 

MATCH 23 – TELUGU TITANS VS BENGALURU BULLS

No.	Award	Player/Team
1	TVS BEST RAIDER OF THE MATCH	AJAY THAKUR (BENGALURU BULLS)
2	BAJAJ ELECTRICAL INSPIRING DEFENDER OF THE MATCH	MANJEET CHHILLAR (BENGALURU BULLS)
3	PATNA PIRATES MOMENT OF THE MATCH	PREETAM CHHILLAR (BENGALURU BULLS)
4	VIP FRENCHIE BIG IMPRESSION PLAYER OF THE MATCH	SANDEEP (TELUGU TITANS)
5	FLIPKART AUDIENCE KI WISH PLAYER OF THE MATCH	MANJEET CHHILLAR (BENGALURU BULLS)

Press release

Patna Pirates surrender before Telugu Titans in Pro Kabaddi

Patna, July 30, 2015: Sukesh Hegde and Prashant Rai starred in Telugu Titans’ fifth win in Season 2 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi at the Pataliputra Sports Complex in Patna today. The duo tore time and time again into the Patna Pirates defence to give their team an easy 34-22 victory. The win takes the Titans’ tally to 26 points as they retained their second spot in the table. Patna with only one win under their belt in four matches stay in the last position with just seven points.  

The teams were level in the initial stages with the lead changing hands. The half-time score of 13-12 in favour of the visitors promised a humdinger of a contest but the hosts simply collapsed under the relentless pressure exerted by the Titans’ attacking duo. Today’s performance by Sukesh and Prashant has opened up further options for the Titans which will set alarm bells ringing for their opponents.

To compound the Pirates worry, the Titans’ left corner Sandeep was in irresistible form coming up with frontal blocks and waist holds to gobble up rival raiders Rakesh and Ravi Dalal to lend excellent support.

The Pirates had a good start with Rakesh showing glimpses of his class. He had good support from young Sandeep Narwal who came up with two raid points and a good catch to help his team remain in the hunt. For the Titans their star and last season’s leading raider Rahul Chaudhari was totally off-colour and so was Deepak Nivas Hudda, their second string raider who also doubles up in defence.

But as they say cometh the hour cometh the man, Sukesh Hegde rose to the occasion. He effected a super raid to send his team up 12-9 much to the surprise of his team mates and the partisan Patna crowd. That was the turning point because the Titans never looked back thereafter although Patna raised the expectations of their fans. Substitute Girish Ernak and Rakesh Kumar managed a super tackle each to wrest the lead 16-15 in the 25thminute.

 But it was again Sukesh Hegde who did the damage. He sent out Ravi Dalal at a crucial juncture after which strode Prashant Rai on stage. He dominated from then on to take his tally to eight points with a couple of raids ended with two points each. This resulted in the second all-out for Patna and effectively snuffed their hopes of making a comeback at 33-19 in the 37th minute.

In the post-match press conference, both team owner Rajesh V Shah and Captain Rakesh Kumar were optimistic of better fortunes for their team. “This was the opening game of our home leg. We will not lose confidence after this loss to Telugu Titans” said Rajesh V Shah on his team’s loss.

Veteran Rakesh Kumar was realistic about the reasons his team lost to Telugu Titans tonight: “We were poor in both departments of offence and defence tonight but we fought till the last minute. We should learn from this loss because we have 10 matches left to make a comeback and this is not the end. Ravi Dalal and I have had a tough start to the tournament but this is just the beginning and the team will come back strongly. I am working hard every day and so is my team. We need the support and faith of our Patna fans to move on and get better results. Currently, we are in talks with the Kabaddi Federation in Bihar to carry out actions that will uplift the sport of kabaddi in the state.”

The star player for Telugu Titans, Sukesh Hegde was ecstatic about his team’s momentous run in Season 2 so far. “I am proud of the team and the work that they put in this game today to win. We have enjoyed playing in Patna and are looking forward to our encounter tomorrow with Bengaluru Bulls.”

Regarding Rahul Chaudhari’s early substitution in the game, Sukesh was appreciative of Rahul’s efforts in Season 2 so far. “Yes, he was substituted for a while today but he is an amazing player. Any player has their good and bad days and unfortunately today wasn’t his day.”

MATCH 22 – PATNA PIRATES VS TELUGU TITANS

No.	Award	Player/Team
1	TVS BEST RAIDER OF THE MATCH	PRASHANT KUMAR RAI (TELUGU TITANS)
2	BAJAJ ELECTRICAL INSPIRING DEFENDER OF THE MATCH	SANDEEP (TELUGU TITANS)
3	PATNA PIRATES MOMENT OF THE MATCH	PRASHANT KUMAR RAI (TELUGU TITANS)
4	VIP FRENCHIE BIG IMPRESSION PLAYER OF THE MATCH	SUKESH HEGDE (TELUGU TITANS)
5	FLIPKART AUDIENCE KI WISH PLAYER OF THE MATCH	RAKESH KUMAR (PATNA PIRATES)

Press release

Bihar girls outplay Tripura 77-09 in National Sub-Junior Kabaddi

Bihar (pink) beat Tripura 77-09 in the girls' section league match of the 26th National Sub-Junior Kabaddi Championships at Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna on November 5, 2014.
Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

Maharashtra beat Goa 57-22 in National Sub-Junior Kabaddi

Maharashtra beat Goa 57-22 in the boys' section league match of the 26th National Sub-Junior Kabaddi Championships at Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna on November 5, 2014.
Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

66 boys and girls teams participating in 26th National Sub-Junior Kabaddi

Altogether 66 boys and girls teams participated in the march past to mark the beginning of the 26th National Sub-Junior Kabaddi Championships in Patna on November 5, 2014. Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi inaugurated the meet. Speaking on the occasion he said state government had given the responsibility to different state-owned corporations to adopt a game and nurture the talents.
Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

26th National Sub-Junior Kabaddi Championships begin

Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi inaugurated 26th National Sub-Junior Kabaddi Championships at Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna on November 5, 2014. 

Bihar teams for National Sub-Junior Kabaddi announced

Patna, November 4, 2014: Bihar State Kabaddi Association announced state teams for the 26th National Sub-Junior Kabaddi Championships beginning at the Patliputra Sports Complex here on November 5.

Boys: Nigam Kumar (captain), Mohan Kumar, Aditya Kumar Singh, Rahul Kumar, Rohit Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, Sunny Kumar, Vikas Kumar, Md Javed Akhtar, Dheeraj Kumar, Raj Kumar Sakshm Kumar, Ramjee Upadhayaya (coach) and Shashi Rai (manager).

Girls: Radhika Kumari (captain), Shruti Rai, Nitu Kumari Prachi, Suman, Komal, Kusum, Ankita, Rita, Ritu, Kavita, Neelkamal (coach) and Farida Khatoon (manager).

Jaipur Pink Panthers win Pro Kabaddi League crown

Mumbai, August 31, 2014: 55 hard fought matches. 2,200 demanding minutes of game play. Hundreds and hundreds of touches and tackles, dips and dives, whacks and whallops, all leading up to the last match of the last day of the last venue of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi. Everything has been counting down to this. The Jaipur Pink Panthers and U Mumba, fixed against each other by an uncanny twist of fate to end the league with the same match that got it all started. Tonight, of course, would be a very different night from that pioneering night on the 26th of July. The winner tonight, Jaipur Pink Panthers, would be the first ever champion of India’s very own Pro Kabaddi league, a title that would put the heroic team down in history as the original legends of the sport. With a deafening crowd that filled the NSCI to its very brim, kabaddi was having the night of its life.

The Mumbai crowd, it should be noted, suffered from a foundational split. The Jaipur team, with its immense talent and Bollywood support, found itself with the same amount of hometown boost as the opposing Mumbai squad. An equal glow of orange and pink filled the stands, but this equality would not manifest itself on the mat. Both teams played with an ardent spirit, and the concept of ultimate victory added a previously unseen strength and speed to their already tremendous skill. The final 5 minutes however, placed the Jaipur Pink Panthers 11 points ahead and the ultimate winners of the league.

The game had begun in exactly the opposite format that it ended, cautious and slow, but the journey in between would give the match all the drama Kabaddi fans had learned to expect. For the first 10 minutes, throughout lightning raids and thunderous tackles that sent raiders flying out of the lobby, neither teams would give up any ground. But the 11th minute saw the scales fall in the Panther’s favour. 2 tactical mistakes from the Mumbai team had left them with only Riskank Devadiga, who hopelessly outnumbered could not outsmart the Jaipur defence. Thus, an all-out, put the Panthers 13 – 7 ahead. They would fight to maintain this lead with tooth and nail, and their determination would be well rewarded. An impossible escape from Shabeer Sharfudheen gave U Mumba 2 points, as the audiencewas treated to Shabeer spinning himself out of a full-faced grab by 2 Panthers. Followed up by a successful tackle, Mumbai was able to bring the scores to 16 – 12, closing in on the Panther’s lead. But after Jaipur closed the first half by a single handed, wrecking-ball tackle of Anup by Prashant Chavan, Jaipur was prepped to dominate once again. Exhibiting the same defensive fortitude that had humiliated Patna in the semi-finals, Jaipur gave the Mumbai team nothing, while Maninder and Jasvir took the players apart. Faced with an all-out in the 30th minute, the last man crumbled under the Panther attack, and the lead grew to 27 – 15. As the clock clicked on, Jaipur would not ease up at all.

As Jasvir walked the centre line in the final minute, running out the final time, it was with the proud knowledge that his team would go down forever as the first champions of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi. His victory would be preserved in history alongside the final score, with the crushing defeat of U Mumba and a score of 35 – 24.

Amongst the individual winners, Arjuna Awardee and the vice-captain of the Indian National Kabaddi Team, Anup Kumar one of the most experienced players in the league, was awarded the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi Most Valuable Player Award. Averaging at 5 raids per game, his style has been consistent throughout his career and was reflected in his captaincy of the UMumba team. 

Rahul Chaudhari of the Telugu Titans was awarded Best Raider of the tournament, an award in recognition of scoring a record 23 raid points in a single match against UMumba in Vizag, andbecoming the first raider to cross the century benchmark. The 21-year-old, always a trump card for the Telugu Titans, at 151 Raid Points was tonight Rs. 75,000 richer the top raider of the first Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. 

The Top Defender of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League, was chart topper and all-rounder Manjit Chillar has been one of Bengaluru Bulls’ most effective weapons. Leading the Bulls’ charge, Manjit’s experience provides him with that additional mojo that helps him to oust as many players as possible. An ankle-hold specialist, Manjit Chillar’s grip on the Raider’s mind is also what makes him formidable.

Patna Pirates get third place

In the first match of the night that decided the fate of the team to be paced third, Patna Pirates bulldozed the Bengaluru Bulls, winning the encounter 29-22. Starting the match on a high, Sandeep Narwal started the proceedings, scoring a 2-point raid in the fifth second. After trading blows for the early few minutes the Bulls’ Kuldeep Singh was ousted, leaving Bengaluru a 3-man side in the beginning of the fifth minute. Riding high on a strong start, Patna’s first road block, was in the eight minute as Ajay Thakur and Dharmaraj Cheralathan, who was also the best defender of the day, picked up Sandeep and put him out of the matc. At half-time scores were 9-15.

As the second half began, Ravi Dalal was dramatically picked up and spun around by the Bulls to gain a crucial point. But the Pirates refused to take the humiliation and paid back in the 23rdminute, grabbing Ajay’s ankle, picking him up and throwing him right out. At the end of the 27thminute, Patna was leading the match by 8 points and the lead continued to escalate as Ravi Dalal ousted two Bengaluru Bulls with a spectacular dive. Denying the Bulls every chance of a comeback, Patna sealed the third place, overthrowing the Bulls 22-29

Photo and release: Organisers 

Pink Panthers down Puneri Paltan to remain top of the table

Jaipur, August 23, 2014: It was houseful at the Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium, as the vocal crowd of Jaipur turned up to celebrate the last day of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League in the Pink city. Fuelled by the enthusiasm of Pink Panther owner Abhishek Bachchan the Pink Panthers stole the show yet again, overcoming the rather strong looking Puneri Paltan challenge. With a score of 33-27, Jaipur became the third team to join U Mumba and Telegu Titans to turn their home into a fortress, not losing a single game there.

A contest between the top and bottom ranked teams in the league table, the home-team did not disappoint. Being the only team to have qualified for the semi-finals, the Jaipur played like champions, overpowering Puneri Paltan from the word go. Though out of the running for the semis, Pune looked strong but fell just short of the Panthers.

As Rajesh Narwal ousted Pune’s Manoj Kumar, Jaipur got the break they needed, tackling the Pune captain in the very next raid. But a defiant Pune did not let Jaipur march ahead, keeping the scores tied to three in the sixth minute.

Charged by the chants of “Jasvir, Jasvir” filling the stadium, the man left Pune to just two men, taking them one down during his very next raid and letting his team tackle down the last man standing, Swapnil Shinde. Jaipur earned their first LONA points at the end of the tenth minute. Leading by 6 points, the Jaipur outfit stepped up the game taking down Swapnil Shinde Mangesh Bhagat and captain Wazir Singh one after the other. A brilliant reverse –scorpion kick by Jasvir Singh reduced Pune to a four-man army yet again. As Jitesh Joshi left the field, the crowd burst in a euphoric cheer, celebrating the half-time score of 20-10, in favour of their team.

The beginning of the second-half saw Wazir Shah reducing Jaipur to a four-man army, and Navneet Gautam’s men seemed a little shaky. Reduced to just two Panthers, the Jaipur team conceded the first LONA points, taking the score to 21 all. However Jaipur was quick to bounce back, overthrowing Mangesh and Wazir consecutively. Going neck to neck, the Pune made sure that Jaipur do not have a sizable lead by their side. Jaipur manages to inch ahead thanks to Maninder’s raid which took down Jitesh Joshi and Mangesh Bhagat, earning his team two crucial points. It was now up to the Pune captain to revive his players, a challenge he could not complete, giving Jaipur their second Lona points for the day and winning the match by six points.

Photo caption: Jaipur raider Jasvir Singh undertakes a raid on Pune citadel during their Pro Kabaddi League match in Jaipur on August 23, 2014.

Photo and release: Organisers