Pro Panja: Kochi KDs beat Mumbai Muscle, Kiraak Hyderabad beat Ludhiana Lions

New Delhi: The thrilling armwestling action of inaugural edition of Pro Panja League continued on Friday with Kochi KD's and Kiraak Hyderabad showcasing their dominance and picking up crucial wins. The event was graced by Olympic medalist and Hon'ble Member of Parliament Shri Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. "I want to congratulate Parvin Dabas and Preeti Jhangiani for a successful launch of Pro Panja League. I also congratulate all the athletes. The work being done to promote and give recognition to all the armwrestlers by bringing them to an international stage is tremendous. I hope, India continue to win in every competition across the world under the leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi," he said.

To kick off the action, Bimla Rawat and Asif Ahemad gave Kochi KD's an early 2-1 lead over Mumbai Muscle in the undercard. Kochi's Rudra Naik set up the game for his side against Ludhiana Lions with a decisive win over Mumbai Muscle's entertainer Jatish Mahajan in 60kg bout. The number-two seed in his category, Rudra tested Jatish in first two rounds, before using Challenger Round to get a 10-0 win. Next up, Abhirami P K from Kochi stunned Mumbai's Ardhra Suresh with top roll pin in 55kg bout and earned a clean sweep win.

In the final bout, Chandan Kumar Behera pinned Santosh Gupta in straight rounds, in the Specially-abled category to give Mumbai a win. Using Challenger Round, Chandan earned a 10-0 win, but Kochi won the match 17-11.

In the second match of the night, Butta Singh, Madhura KN and Shoaib Akhtar won their undercard bouts to give Kiraak Hyderabad 3-0 lead over Ludhiana Lions. Kiraak's Satnam Singh challenged Ludhiana's Sanu Joy in the 70kg category bout in the main card. Using smart wrist movement, Sanu single-handedly turned the tide of the game, winning the bout 10-0 to give his side the lead.

Kiraak's Madhura came on yet again and pinned Ludhiana's Aparna Roshith via top roll to continue her dominance in 65kg category. Using challenger round to her advantage, Madhura again shifted momentum back to Kiraak's corner, and continued her unbeaten streak in Pro Panja League. Ludhiana sent Sachin Bhadoria against Kiraak's Jagadish Baruah for 100kg bout. The latter completely dominated the bout to get a clean sweep win and earned 5-0 victory, helping Kiraak Hyderabad pick 18-10 win, and climb to top of the table.

Mumbai Muscle will take on Baroda Badshahs and Kochi KD's will face off against Rohtak Rowdies on 5th August, 2023, Saturday.