Kiraak Hyderabad crowned Pro Panja League champions after 30–18 win
Kiraak Hyderabad defeated Rohtak Rowdies 30–18 to clinch the Pro Panja League Season 2 title. Stewe Thomas broke a league record and was named Badshaho ka Badshah for his heroics
Hyderabad: Kiraak Hyderabad won the Pro Panja League Season 2 championship, defeating Rohtak Rowdies 30-18 in Gwalior and picked a winner’s purse of Rs 20 lakhs.
Nirmal Devi of Rohtak Rowdies was awarded the ‘Player of the day’ award, Satnam Singh of Kiraak Hyderabad the ‘Player of the tournament’, and Stewe Thomas won the ‘Badshaho ka Badshah’ title.
Kiraak Hyderabad led the whole tournament in terms of points and on the final day lived up to their reputation and sealed a well-deserved and dominant victory. The runners-up from last season, who missed out on the championship by just one point, lifted the trophy this time and etched their name in history.
Stewe Thomas of Kiraak broke the Pro Panja League record by pinning Deepankhor Mech in just 0.09 second, breaking the previous record of 0.10 second held by Sachin Goyal.
In the final, both teams played a total of 10 matches, four in the Undercard and six in the Main Card, sending one player in every category seen in the league so far to fight for the coveted crown.
The Undercard was all Kiraak Hyderabad as they enjoyed a clean sweep against Rohtak Rowdies to begin the contest. Aviliye Zuyie set the tone with a commanding 2-0 victory over Arshdeep Singh in the 90kg bout. M V Naveen doubled the lead, overpowering Nikhil Singh 2-0 in the 60kg category, before Rachna Jatav extended the advantage and her winning streak with another clean 2-0 win against Karabi Sonowal in the 55kg contest. Rowdies’ Billa Tajamul fought hard to keep his side alive, but the experienced captain Asker Ali claimed the 80kg clash 2-0 to place his team in a comfortable position ahead of the Main Card matches.
In the Main Card, world champion Srinivas BV in the Specially-Abled match claimed the opening points for Rohtak Rowdies as he defeated Chandan Kumar Behera of Kiraak Hyderabad 5-0. Nirmal Devi built on the momentum for Rohtak Rowdies as she activated the challenger round and claimed a flawless 10-0 triumph against Jincy Jose in the 65+kg category.
The 18-year-old Aabhas Rana shifted the tide back towards Kiraak Hyderabad in the 100+kg division, defeating Amit Chaudhary 5-0 in a gripping contest. K N Madhura of Kiraak Hyderabad outclassed Ribasuk Lyngdoh 5-0 in the 65kg bout.
With the trophy on the line, Hyderabad’s Stewe Thomas delivered his best performance of the season, winning against Deepankhor Mech 10-0 in the 70kg clash. Despite losing out on the title, Dara Singh of Rohtak Rowdies didn’t lose his spirit and defeated Jagadish Baruah of Kiraak Hyderabad 3-2 in the 100kg category to end the night.
