National Kabaddi Championship: Himachal women champs
Maharashtra get the better of Services to win men's title.
Hyderabad: Himachal Pradesh women and Maharashtra men emerged champions of the 65th Senior National Kabaddi Championship held at the GMC Balayogi Indoor Stadium in Gachibowli, Hyderabad.
In Friday’s final, Himachal women defeated Indian Railway by a comfortable 38-25 scoreline to lay their hands on the trophy.
The Railway women were in the match for most part, even as they trailed 11-17 at half-time. However, Himachal began to pull away after the break to push their opponents off track. Nidhi Sharma and Pushpa Devi were the best players for Himachal while Payal Chowdary and Sonali did their best for the Railway side.
Earlier in the semifinals, Railways had pinned down Punjab 30-23 while Himachal halted Haryana’s run with a 30-26 scoreline.
In the men’s final, Maharashtra and Services were involved in a tight contest. Maha led 17-12 at half-time but soon the teams were level on 22 points. Thereafter, the Western side pulled ahead to clinch the title.
The results
Women’s final: Himachal Pradesh bt Indian Railway 38-25 (half time 17-11). Semifinals: Indian Railway bt Punjab 30-23, Himachal Pradesh bt Haryana 30-26.
Men’s final: Maharashtra bt Services 34-29 (half time 17-12). Semifinals: Maharashtra bt Karnataka 35-34, Services bt Haryana 32-28.