Thrills unfolded at Hyderabad’s GMC Balayogi Stadium on Thursday during the 72nd Senior Women’s National Kabaddi Championship’s pre-quarterfinals. Post-league, elite squads battled for quarterfinal berths, with Indian Railways and Haryana emerging as frontrunners.
League toppers like Railways, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, MP, Delhi, Haryana, Vidarbha, Chandigarh, UP, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan entered the knockouts. Results were emphatic.
Railways crushed Karnataka 46-27 in a display of superiority. Maharashtra survived Goa’s challenge 42-36, MP edged Delhi 41-36, Haryana annihilated Vidarbha 50-19. Chandigarh prevailed over UP 45-39, Tamil Nadu beat Rajasthan 34-30, Punjab dismissed Telangana 42-25, Himachal smashed Gujarat 67-22.
Stars stole the spotlight: Tamil Nadu raider Kartika R’s form persisted. Uttarakhand’s Bhumika, Chhattisgarh’s Chhaya attacked relentlessly. Defensively, Chandigarh’s Monica’s tackle efficiency stood out, joined by Gujarat’s Garhavi Sabhai and MP’s Muskan Sharma.
League Day 2 recaps: Railways ruled Pool A vs J&K (88-12), Delhi (54-21). UP won vs Assam (37-27), lost to Himachal (34-21). Telangana (50-16), Rajasthan (76-12) vs Puducherry; Goa (74-20) vs Jharkhand, Haryana strong; Maharashtra 57-20 over Vidarbha; Punjab 39-31 vs Bihar; Gujarat 29-26 vs Odisha; MP 48-23 vs AP.
Quarterfinals set stage for climactic battles, celebrating women’s kabaddi’s rising stature in India.