Haridwar, April 1 (IANS) The Super 6 and head-to-head round of the Yuva All-Stars Championship kabaddi competition concluded on Tuesday, with the top three teams from the Super 6 round and the loser of the head-to-head round qualifying for the playoffs. Yuva Mumba, Sonipat Spartans, and Warriorz K.C. won their respective matches in the last set of Super 6 matches on Tuesday at the Vandana Kataria Indoor Stadium in Haridwar.
Yuva Mumba defeated the Junior Steelers 48-26 to earn a spot in the playoffs. They went into the half-time break with a 15-14 score after an evenly-contested first half. The Steelers inflicted an All Out on Yuva Mumba to take the lead, but the Mumbai-based club extended their lead by five points following an All Out on the Junior Steelers.
Yuva Mumba inflicted two more All-Outs on the Steelers to leave the Haryana-based club behind in the match. They won the match by 22 points and are through to the next round. Pruthviraj Shinde was the star player with 12 points. Mumbai finished third in the Super 6 standings with 37 points.
Sonipat Spartans defeated Palani Tuskers 44-33 to set up an Eliminator clash against Warriorz K.C. They were leading 22-14 at half-time, courtesy of the Tuskers getting All Out early in the game. The Spartans got Palani All Out twice in the second half to extend their lead.
The Tuskers inflicted an All Out on the Spartans to reduce the deficit to 11 points, but it didn’t help the team’s cause. Pankaj Thakur (12 points) and Ankit Saharwa (11 points) played crucial roles to guide Sonipat to victory.
Meanwhile, Warriorz K.C. beat Chandigarh Chargers 51-34, riding on the back of Nitin Singh’s 10 raid points. The Bengal-based franchise took a 20-point lead at the end of the first half. The half-time score read 30-10, courtesy of two All Outs on the Chargers. Both sides inflicted an All Out each in the second half, but the Warriorz had the last laugh, winning the match by 15 points.
The head-to-head match between Jaipur Pink Cubs and Yuva Yoddhas was cancelled as the Pink Cubs have won two matches and booked a berth in the summit clash of the tournament.
The playoff rounds will include four matches – two Eliminators, one semifinal, and a final. The loser of the head-to-head round will take on the third-placed team in the Super 6 round in Eliminator 1, while the top two teams from Super 6 will lock horns with each other in Eliminator 2. Both Eliminators will be played on April 2.
The winner of Eliminator 1 and the winner of Eliminator 2 will face each other in the semifinal match on Thursday. The winner of the semifinal clash will lock horns against the head-to-head winner in the Grand Finale on Friday.
–IANS
bc/bsk/
