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The inaugural edition of the Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK), held last year, saw Odisha Juggernauts emerge as the champions. They defeated Telugu Yoddhas by the slimmest margin of 46-45 in a nail-biting final at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune.
It was a battle of defence with both sides edging past each other when they could defend. The first turn was level at 10-10 after Odisha opted to defend first.
Though Odisha Juggernauts conceded some easy points while defending, they managed to end the first half with a three-point lead through some quality attacking.
In the second half, the momentum shifted towards the Telugu Titans after they collected 21 points in the third turn to take a lead at 41-27.
Sachin Bhargo added two key points for the Telugu outfit while keeping the Odisha attackers in the hunt of his touch for 2 minutes and 44 seconds. He was dismissed only when 84 seconds were left on the clock and the Telugu Yoddhas were in the driver's seat with a 45-43 lead. Just halfway of a dream run was needed to win the title at that point.
However, Sachin Lande spoiled the party for the Yoddhas with a breathtaking sky-dive to dismiss Avdhut Patil when just 14 seconds were left on the clock. Lande's acrobatic efforts helped Odisha Juggernauts account for three points in the dying seconds and pip Telugu Yoddhas for the coveted trophy.
How did Odisha Juggernauts perform in the Ultimate Kho Kho season 1 league stage?
Odisha Juggernauts finished second in the six-team league phase of season 1. The Dipesh More-led team won seven matches and lost three in the double round-robin format to accumulate 21 points.
They were only behind table-toppers Gujarat Giants (23 points). Although both teams registered the same number of wins and defeats, the Odisha team finished with a negative points difference (-4). Odisha comfortably defeated Gujarat Giants 57-43 in Qualifier 1 to book their place in the final of the UKK season 1, and eventually clinched the title.
