New Delhi: The opening day of the 71st Senior National Kabaddi tournament commenced with many dominant performances by PKL stars. The 30 teams participated in the National games and teams were drawn in eight groups. On the first day, raiding machines Pawan Sehrawat, Ashu Malik, Mohit Goyat, and Naveen Kumar outclassed their opponents and stormed their teams to a great start in the championship.
Many PKL stars have been selected for their respective states’ teams after a great PKL season 11. Odisha is hosting the 71st National Games and the home side dominated their first match against Vidarbha as they defeated them by a huge margin of 29 points. The score line of the match was 57-28 in favor of the home side.
Fans in the arena were witnessing a non-stop action-packed Kabaddi and in the next game, defending champions Haryana outclassed Telangana with a score line of 50-20. PKL stars Ashu Malik and Mohit Goyal helped their side to kickstart their campaign on a high note.
PKL 11 finalists Shubham Shinde and M Sudhakar delivered great performances as Railways beat Manipur by a 42-point margin and showed their experience on the mat. Maharashtra vs Kerala was the only close contest on the opening day as Maharashtra narrowly beat Kerala by four points.
The opening day concluded with Madhya Pradesh crushing Andhra Pradesh in a one-side affair as they defeated them by 59-35. Madhya Pradesh showed an aggressive play against Andhra. Rahul Chaudhari will be making his return to the mat as Uttar Pradesh will play against Assam. Arjun Deshwal will be leading Uttar Pradesh.
The top teams from each group will advance to the pre-quarterfinals and then the knockout stage will be played between top sides.
71st Senior Kabaddi Championship opening day results:
Odisha 57-28 Vidarbha
Haryana 50-20 Telangana
Railways 59-17 Manipur
Maharashtra 39-35 Kerala
Chandigarh 40-24 Gujarat
Madhya Pradesh 59-35 Andhra Pradesh
PKL stars Ashu Malik, Mohit Goyat, Pawan Sehrawat, and many more displayed great performances on the opening day of the 71st Senior Kabaddi Championship 2025 in Cuttack. Kabaddi Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
