Vadodara, February 27 – Indian Railways secured the 72nd Senior Men's National Kabaddi Championship Trophy on Friday at the Sama Indoor Stadium, Vadodara, after defeating Maharashtra 49-31 in the final.
Led by Sunil Kumar, the most successful captain of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), Railways overcame 29 teams divided into eight pools, who played in 54 matches over the last four days.
Before reaching the final, Railways defeated teams like Chandigarh and Karnataka, and ultimately triumphed over a strong Maharashtra side led by Aslam Inamdar, one of the top players in the Pro Kabaddi League.
The concluding day of the tournament featured four teams in action, starting with two semi-final matches between Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, and Indian Railways and Chandigarh, respectively.
After winning their semi-final matches, Railways and Maharashtra advanced to the finals, with the former dominating with a strong overall performance. Pankaj Mohite led the raiding unit with 12 raid points, while Ashu Malik, who also led Dabang Delhi K.C. to victory in PKL 12, contributed eight points.
Railways' defence effectively complemented the raiders, finishing with 14 tackle points and putting sustained pressure on Maharashtra throughout the contest. Despite efforts from Shivam Patare and Aslam Inamdar, Maharashtra struggled to match Railways' intensity, allowing the latter to secure the championship by a 18-point margin.
In the first semi-final earlier, Maharashtra registered a convincing 49-36 win over Uttar Pradesh. The team maintained control throughout the contest, with Aditya Shinde leading the raiding unit by scoring 12 raid points. Aslam Inamdar and Shivam Patare also contributed 11 and 8 points, respectively.
Along with the raiding unit, Maharashtra's defence also played a key role in the outcome, finishing with 14 tackle points compared to Uttar Pradesh's eight, who were visibly struggling.
The second semi-final between Indian Railways and Chandigarh ended in a 38-38 tie, with the former progressing to the final after registering a 7-4 victory in the tie-breaker. Ashu Malik was the top performer for the Railways with 10 points, while Narender Kandola added another 10 points.
Chandigarh stayed in the contest through strong raiding efforts from Pawan Sehrawat, who scored 12 points, and Rakesh Singroha, who contributed seven points.
Bhavani Rajput, who played for Goa, topped the raiding standings with a total of 58 raid points, secured in 81 raids. Meanwhile, Shubham Shinde, who is part of the champions team, secured the most number of tackle points, 27.
