Ultimate Kho Kho: CM Naveen Patnaik congratulates Odisha Juggernauts on reaching finale

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today congratulated the Odisha Juggernauts, the State-owned team in the ongoing Ultimate Kho Kho league, on reaching the final round after pulling off a dominating performance against Gujarat Giants in the qualifier in Pune on Friday.

Interacting with the coaches and players through a video conference, the CM lauded the team’s splendid performance and on qualifying for the finals which will be held on Sunday. Odisha Juggernauts had performed exceedingly well in the inaugural season and made it to the finals after dominating performance against Gujarat Giants in the qualifier in Pune. He encouraged them to give their best shot and wished them the very best for the final match ahead.

The coaches and players were thrilled during the virtual interaction and expressed their gratitude to the CM for the support extended to the team by the Odisha government. Speaking to the CM, head coach Ashwani Kumar Sharma, co-captain Dipesh Vijay More and player Jagannath Murmu said they will put their best foot forward and hoped to return to Bhubaneswar with the coveted trophy. “The team was able to reach this point in the league because of the support and encouragement we received from the Odisha government. We shall return with the trophy,” they said.

On Friday, Odisha Juggernauts had registered a comprehensive 57-43 victory against Gujarat Giants at Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune, to storm into the final round. Suraj Lande had contributed to the win by scoring 13 points and dismissing five playersalong with Dilip Khandavi who brilliantly defended for 3.48 minutes in the final turn.

Odisha Juggernauts and the winner of qualifier 2 will fight for the title in the final round.

Ultimate Kho Kho is promoted by Amit Burman in collaboration with the Kho Kho Federation of India.