Chennai Quick Guns confirmed themselves a seat in the final of Ultimate Kho Kho Season 2 with a 31-29 victory over Telugu Yoddhas in the second semi-final at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Cuttack on Thursday.

While all the spotlight was thrown in the direction of the in-form Ramji Kashyap going into Turn 1, another big-name player grabbed all the attention. Telugu Yoddhas skipper Pratik Waikar was in red-hot form, scoring ten points for his team in Turn. Chennai Quick Guns’ first batch — Ramji, Vijay Shinde and Madan — scored three Dream Runs, but that was all that the Yoddhas gave a leeway. Telugu Yoddhas had a 14-2 advantage at the end of the Turn.

Telugu Yoddhas upped the ante in Turn 2, with their first batch of Waikar, Aditya Ganpule and Avdhut Patil staying on the mat for four minutes and seven seconds and notching three Dream Runs. The first innings ended with the score at 17-14 in favour of Telugu Yoddhas, despite the Quick Guns amassing 12 attack points in the Turn.

The Waikar Show continued its run in Turn 3, taking just four seconds to send back his first victim. The first Chennai Quick Guns batch lasted just two minutes and 11 seconds. That, in Turn, invited the Chennai Quick Guns’ prime batch of Ramji, Shinde and Madan to take the mat once again and showcase why they have been a force to reckon with in Ultimate Kho Kho Season 2. They collectively clocked four minutes and 18 seconds on the mat and registered three Dream Runs. At the end of Turn 3, Telugu Yoddhas held a 29-17 lead going into the final Turn, which had a surprise waiting in the pipeline.

Come Turn 4, and the tables were turned in favour of a confident Chennai Quick Guns, who, for the nth time, displayed a come-from-behind successful strategy. The Quick Guns’ attackers preyed on the first two Telugu Yoddhas batches and quickly dispatched them back into the dugout to level the scores with a minute left. As Laxman Gawas got Avdhut Patil out, the Chennai Quick Guns had the points and the result they needed.

What’s next? Chennai Quick Guns will play Gujarat Giants in the Ultimate Kho Kho Season 2 final on January 13, 2024. This fixture will be preceded by the third-place Playoff between hosts Odisha Juggernauts and Telugu Yoddhas - who were finalists in UKK Season 1.

Match Awards

Attacker of the Match: Pratik Waikar (Telugu Yoddhas)

Defender of the Match: Ramji Kashyap (Chennai Quick Guns)

Ultimate Kho of the Match: Vijay Shinde (Chennai Quick Guns)