Uttar Pradesh stun Services in Senior National Kabaddi Championship quarter-finals

Uttar Pradesh defeated defending champions Services in a high-scoring quarter-final at the Senior National Kabaddi Championship in Vadodara. Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Bihar and Indian Railways also progressed after dominant and closely contested matches

Hyderabad: A mix of dominant performances and closely fought encounters saw Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Services, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Indian Railways and Bihar advance to the quarter-finals of the Senior National Kabaddi Championship in Vadodara on Thursday.

The quarter-finals began on a dramatic note, with Uttar Pradesh causing a major upset by defeating defending champions Services 55-51 to advance to the semi-finals. Arjun Deshwal, who also captains Tamil Thalaivas in the Pro Kabaddi League, starred for Uttar Pradesh with an impressive 19-point haul.

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The second quarter-final between Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh ended in Maharashtra’s favour as they recorded a 53-38 win. Ajit Chouhan and Aditya Shinde led the raiding unit, scoring 14 and 12 points respectively.

The knockouts also saw another upset as Tamil Nadu advanced to the quarter-finals by defeating one of the strongest teams of the tournament, Haryana, in a tie-breaker after both teams were tied at 35-35 at the end of regulation time.

Chandigarh registered a dominant 45-26 victory over Madhya Pradesh, with Indian player Pawan Sehrawat scoring 10 points. This was followed by Maharashtra’s convincing 69-21 win over Pondicherry, as they delivered a strong overall team performance.

One of the standout contests of the day took place between Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, with both teams locked in a close battle before Himachal Pradesh eventually emerged victorious 56-53. Their star raiders Pappu Kumar and Mayank Saini scored 15 and 14 points respectively. Uttar Pradesh continued their impressive run with a commanding 65-24 win over Jammu and Kashmir.

In another one-sided clash, Services defeated Goa 51-22, maintaining control throughout the contest. Star raider Devank Dalal scored 10 points, while Ankit led the defence with four points.

Bihar secured a crucial win by defeating hosts Gujarat 38-34 in a closely contested match. Indian Railways rounded off the pre-quarter-finals with a 57-38 victory over Karnataka, combining effective raiding with strong defence to book their place in the next round.

Railways will take on Bihar, while Chandigarh and Tamil Nadu will face off in the remaining quarter-finals.