The 66th Senior National Kabaddi Championships 2018-19 commenced at the D.G Tatkare Krida Nagari in Roha Raigad, Maharashtra as some of the biggest names in Indian kabaddi turned out for their respective states or employees.
A total of 12 matches were played on the day as the teams in the fray went about their business in style getting their campaigns off to a bright start with Services, hosts Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh registering big wins on the opening day of the tournament.
Services kick-started their campaign with a 69-5 decimation of the Manipur State team as the Monu Goyat-led side’s dominating show saw Manipur failing to open their account in the first half. With just five points in the second half, Services claimed a mammoth 64-point win.
One of the most fancied teams this season, the Railways used all their experience as Orissa was forced to succumb to the might of the Railways who registered a massive 49-13 win in the end.
Hosts Maharashtra faced off against Vidarbha in a Group ‘A’ clash and gave the crowd in attendance a lot to cherish as they registered a commanding 64-13 over their opposition while Uttar Pradesh, led by the poster boy of Indian Kabaddi, Rahul Chaudhari, won 66-16 over a hapless Jharkhand side.
In other matches, an experience-filled Karnataka side faced off against BSNL as Prashant Rai led from the front that saw his team win 57-12 over their opponents. Haryana’s star-studded team too started off on a positive note as Surender Nada led his side to an easy 67-24 win over Chattisgarh.
In the only tied encounter of the day, Delhi and Chandigarh dealt each other a blow for a blow. While the latter led by two points into the break, Delhi came back in the second half as the match ended in a thrilling tie.
Uttarakhand raced away to a big 38-point win over Assam as they finished the match with a 70-32 scoreline favouring them while Bihar too started in fine fashion with a comfortable 41-21 win over West Bengal.
Andhra’s relatively new faces came together putting up a strong show against Jammu and Kashmir to win 43-31 while Rajasthan dominated with a 52-35 win over Punjab.
The contest between Madhya Pradesh and Telangana was a keenly contested one as the former came back from a 12-point deficit in the first half, only to lose by a single point with the score at 42-41 in favor of Telangana in the end.
Scores at the end of Day 1 of the 66th Senior National Kabaddi Championships
Maharashtra 64 – 13 Vidarbha
Services 69 – 5 Manipur
Karnataka 57 – 12 BSNL
Haryana 67 – 24 Chattisgarh
Rajasthan 52 – 35 Punjab
Uttar Pradesh 66 – 16 Jharkhand
Uttarakhand 70 – 32 Assam
Railways 49 – 13 Orissa
Delhi 42 – 42 Chandigarh
Telangana 42- 41 Madhya Pradesh
Bihar 41 – West Bengal 21
Andhra Pradesh 43 – 31 Jammu & Kashmir