The 65th Senior National Kabaddi Championships is all set to reach its conclusion with the Men's semi-finals and final to be played today at the Gachibowli indoor stadium in Hyderabad.
Sukesh Hegde's (L) Karnataka will take on Rishank Devadiga (R)'s Maharashtra in the first semi-final of the 65th Senior Kabaddi National Championships
Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana and Services booked their place in the last four stage of the competition after prevailing in closely-fought encounters at the quarter-final stage and will be looking to against bring their A game to the table as they aim to secure the traditional holy grail in Indian kabaddi.
In the first semi-final, Sukesh Hegde will lead his well-balanced Haryana side against Maharashtra that possesses players like Rishank Devadiga, Nitin Madane, Sachin Shingade and Girish Ernak in their ranks. So it will be a battle between Karnataka's raiders and Maharashtra's defence.
In the second semi-final the mighty Haryana led by the iconic Anup Kumar will seek an improved show against defending champions Services than what his troops managed against Rajasthan side that came pretty close to knocking them out. This clash will see the competition's two most well-rounded teams go head to head and a very tight encounter that's likely to go the distance is expected.
The final will be played an hour after the two semi-finals.
Published Date: Jan 05, 2018 17:28 PM | Updated Date: Jan 05, 2018 17:56 PM
Highlights
17:56 (IST)
Rishank Devadiga on Maharashtra's opponents: Karnataka played very well against Uttarakhand. They have a very good defender in Jeeva Kumar and we will have to be careful while raiding.
17:44 (IST)
Semi-finals schedule
SF 1: Karnataka vs Maharashtra - 5:45 PM IST
SF 2: Haryana vs Services - 6:45 PM IST
17:41 (IST)
Missed the quarter-finals? Here's a wrap of the last 8 encounters
Anup Kumar's Haryana survive scare; Prashanth Rai, Nitin Madane outshine stars
Read more: http://www.firstpost.com/sports/senior-national-kabaddi-championships-anup-kumars-haryana-survive-scare-prashanth-rai-nitin-madane-outshine-stars-4287891.html
17:05 (IST)
Hello and welcome to Live coverage of the Men's semi-finals and final of the 65th Senior National Kabaddi Championships in Hyderabad. Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana and Services sealed their passage to the semi-finals with hard-earned wins in their respective quarter-final matches that produced pulsating Kabaddi action.
On Friday, Seukesh Hegde's Karnataka will take on Riashank Devadiga-led Maharashtra side before Anup Kumar will ready his star-studded Haryana side to play Nitin Tomar's Services side. Anup and Co will be looking to avenge last season's loss against the Services in last edition's final, so be prepared for some fireworks in the two semifinal encounters before the grand final takes place. Stay tuned for all the action as the Kabaddi Nationals approaches its conclusion