Madurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 23 (ANI): A strong performance by Rohit Yadav ensured Aravalli Arrows defeated Murthal Magnets from Haryana 48-30 to emerge champions in the Yuva Kabaddi Series Monsoon Edition 2023 played at the Fatima College Indoor Stadium in Madurai on Sunday.
The young left raider from the Aravalli outfit, who was recently snapped up at the Pro Kabaddi auction too, scored 11 raid points from 17 raids attempted in the opposition’s court at an impressive strike rate of 64 per cent. Raider Sahil Sharma, also chipped in with 8 raid points, claiming 4 points in one single raid when Murthal Magnets had got the entire Aravalli side almost wiped out with only Sahil as the last man standing on the mat.
Sonu Rathee, the Murthal Magnets’ defender from Haryana, who was also adjudged as the tournament’s Best Defender, missed out on 100 tackle points finishing with 97 at an impressive 60% success rate.
Meanwhile, Arjun Rathee of Chola Veerans walked away with Rs 50,000 after being named the Best Raider of the tournament.
The thrilling encounter was witnessed by Smt. V Indirani Ponvasanth, Mayor of Corporation of Madurai along with Yuva Kabaddi Series co-founders Vikas Gautam and Suhail Chandhok, also the CEO of U Mumba’s Pro Kabaddi team, a release said.
“It was a very good tournament for us. Our team had a weak start to the tournament, so everyone thought we would be eliminated before the play-offs. But everyone in the team played well, including the bench. This tournament will be a memorable one for us,” commented Aravalli Arrows captain Kapil Gurjar on their maiden win.
Aravalli Arrows not only upgraded the runner-up trophy they had won in the 2022 Monsoon Edition but also bagged the winner’s purse of Rs 20 Lakh. Meanwhile, Murthal Magnets, winners of the inaugural Yuva Kabaddi Series, played cautiously and rarely went in for big points. They waited for the right opportunity but eventually had to satisfy themselves with the runner-up trophy and prize money of Rs 10 Lakh.
The event commenced on September 24 with 16 teams participating from across the country competing for the coveted trophy and a total prize money purse of Rs 58.5 Lakh.
Yuva Kabaddi Series witnessed 132 thrilling and nail-biting matches with participation of over 300 players from states like Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Chattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, and Tripura.
Top Six Team:
Champions: Aravalli Arrows
Runner-Up: Murthal Magnets
3rd Position: Palani Tuskers
4th Position: Chola Veerans
5th Position: Hampi Heroes
6th Position: Nilgiri Knights
Tournament’s Individual Awards
Best Raider: Arjun Rathee, Chola Veerans | Rs 50,000
Best Defender: Sonu Rathee, Murthal Magnets | Rs 50,000
Most Effective Raider: Moolchand Marko, Chambal Challengers
Most Effective Defender: Lokesh Ghosliya, Aravalli Arrows
Do Or Die Specialist: Vishnu Sharma, Aravalli Arrows
Super Raid Specialist: Milan Dahilya, Murthal Magnets
Super Tackle Specialist: Lokesh Ghosliya, Aravalli Arrows
Multi Point Raid Specialist: Vishva Asalavan, Palani Tuskers.(ANI)
