Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 7 (ANI): The Basavangudi Aquatic Centre witnessed some scintillating semi-final action in the 51st Junior Waterpolo Championship 2025 on Thursday. Hosts Karnataka were trumped by Bengal while Maharashtra defeated Kerala to make it to the final in the Boys category, while hosts Karnataka defeated Odisha and Kerala overcame Maharashtra to advance to the final in the Girls category.
In the Boys category, Bengal edged past hosts Karnataka 15-13 in a thrilling semi-final 1 encounter. Sanjib Sardar was the star for Bengal with five goals, while Joy Mondal added 3 and Sahil Sheikh, Tushar Haldar, and Rajesh Naskar chipped in with two goals each. Arnab Shaw also scored once. For Karnataka, Saketh Chandra top-scored with three goals. Pavan Mohan and Jayanth L H Reddy netted two goals each, while Surya Chandra, Surya Mosale Sudhir, Nihar Rajesh and Shreyas Rao scored a goal apiece.
Maharashtra won a high-scoring semi-final two against Kerala 18-16. Swayam Pardeshi led Maharashtra’s attack with 8 goals, while Swarnim Milind Chepe scored 6. Manthan Lomharsh Shivanikar and Samrat Ravindra Bodke added two goals each. For Kerala, Irfan Muhammed I S netted six goals, followed by Gokul Krishna B with 5. Visal V scored 2, while Navaneeth S and Vyshanav V added one goal each.
In the Girls category, Kerala defeated Maharashtra 14-4 in semi-final 1. Safwa Sakeer and Dhakshina Bijo P led the scoring with three goals each, followed closely by Ardra S and Karthika Satheesh with two goals apiece. Abhinanda V, Ruddra M R and Ebba Adila S also contributed with a goal each. For Maharashtra, Reet Kulkarni scored two goals, while Nirmiti Wankhade and Rushada Patil netted once each.
Karnataka overcame a spirited Odisha side 21-12 in semi-final 2 to book their spot in the final. Nithya C top-scored with six goals, Roshini S followed with five, and Manya R netted four goals. Ishani Kiran added four, while Lavanya Yogesh and Tanvi Ravi scored one goal each. For Odisha, Krushna Priya Nayak scored five goals and Puja Padhan netted four. Reshma Majhi added two goals, while Rinky Murmu scored once. (ANI)
