In the first edition of Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK), we came across some enthralling and unexpected moments that kept the fans at the edge of their seats. In this season, we saw records being created and broken. It was a great exhibition of Kho Kho at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge, Pune. Some unforgettable moments happened in the first-ever UKK season.

Let’s take a look at the top five moments of UKK Season 1.

Durvesh Salunke's first ever eight-point Dream Run

It was a must-win game for Mumbai Khiladis against Rajasthan Warriors in Match 16 on the 24th of August to keep their Playoff hopes alive. The Khiladis had a 15-point lead already when their Batch 1 Defenders stepped on the mat in the final Turn. This Batch consisted of players like Gajanan Shengal, Avik Singha and Durvesh Salunke. 

Rajasthan Warriors’ skipper, Majahar Jamadar sent Gajanan packing early from this Batch. Avik and Durvesh chipped in together for a four-point Dream Run before Avik fell prey to a Dive from Suresh Sawant. It was Durvesh who fired all cylinders and added four more points to the Batch clock to script history with UKK’s first-ever eight-point Dream Run. The Batch lasted for 4:10 seconds in this historic run.

Majahar Jamadar getting rid of two Defenders at the same time

On 19th August, Odisha Juggernauts won the toss and elected to defend against Rajasthan Warriors. The Warriors conceded a Dream Run against Odisha’s first Batch of Defenders. Majahar Jamadar, the Warriors’ captain, took the Powerplay when he saw Dilip Khandavi, Arjun Singh and Dipesh More coming as the Batch 2 Defenders.

Majahar wanted to extend the lead for his side after that Dream Run and looked charged up to wipe off the Defenders in quick time. He was given a Kho by Nikhil B, one of the Wazirs from his team, and he got up like a live wire on the mat and rattled Arjun Sing with a Running Touch and removed Dilip Khandavi with a perfect Sky Dive in a jiffy.   

Odisha Juggernauts' six wins on the trot

Odisha started their season with a win against Chennai Quick Guns on 15th August. However, on the next day, Odisha Juggernauts faced a defeat at the hands of the Gujarat Giants.

The Juggernauts looked fresh as they regrouped on 19th August for the game against Rajasthan Warriors. This champion side registered six wins on the trot and booked a Playoff berth before they went on to experiment with their side and faced a defeat against Mumbai Khiladis on 30th August. 

Rajasthan Warriors claiming a win after eight losses

There were a lot of learnings for the Rajasthan Warriors side in the first UKK season. Their team had a lot of potential and looked promising in bits and pieces. However, the team failed to click as a unit. Their captain, Majahar Jamadar and Hrushikesh Murchavade were the only consistent performers for this team.

They had an eight-match losing streak before they drew their first and only blood against Chennai Quick Guns on 30th August in their penultimate game of the season. This win meant a lot for the Warriors and their fans who got a moment to rejoice for which they waited for a long time. 

Telugu Yoddhas' 16-point Dream Run

It was the eighth game for Telugu Yoddhas in the tournament and they were up against Gujarat Giants. The Giants rested a few of their key players and played with five players who were just playing their second game, whereas two of their players were making a debut in UKK.

The Yoddhas played to their strength in this game and didn’t give enough room for the Giants to open their wings. The Yoddhas were leading the game by 37 to nil when they were in the attack at the end of the first Turn. We saw Deepak Madhav, Pratik Waikar and Avdhut Patil making their way on the mat as the Batch 1 Defenders for them. Sarat Kumar, the Giants Attacker pinned Deepak Madhav when the Batch clock read 1:52 seconds. 

There was no looking back for the duo of Pratik and Avdhut in the defence. They kept scoring Dream Runs until Pratik was dismissed by Dhiraj Bhave after standing tall on the mat for 4:06 seconds. Avdhut was scoring points for fun before Dhiraj got in the act again to get rid of him with a Sky Dive. The Batch stayed on the mat for a good 6:06 seconds to collect a majestic 16-point Dream Run and created history in UKK.