New Delhi [India], July 28 : The first season of Pro Panja League began with a bang at the IGI Stadium in New Delhi on Friday with Ludhiana Lions and Mumbai Muscle picking up big victories over Kiraak Hyderabad and Baroda Badshahs, respectively.
The launch of India's first-ever professional armwrestling was graced by the Honourable Union Minister of Ministry of Earth Sciences, Kiren Rijiju, who raised the curtains before the start of the main card on the first day of the Pro Panja league. Dzheenbek Mukambetov, Asian Armwrestling President, Avazbek Asadov, Asian Armwrestling Vice-President, Akhmed Aliyev, Asian Armwrestling General Secretary along with his wife Yelena Aliyeva, were also in attendance.
In the undercard, Ludhiana Lions' Shivanshu Kaushik, Shahil Rahul Kumar and Afzal Khan won the bouts to give their side a 3-0 lead. In the first main card bout, Asker Ali from Kiraak Hyderabad faced off against Thejas G from Ludhiana Lions in 80 kg category bout. Thejas showcased a brilliant defensive display but proved to be unsuccessful in stopping the strong grip of Thejas. Asker won the bout 3-1 to begin Hyderabad's return.
In the second match of 70kg category, Sivajith Janardanan made quick work of his opponent Stewe Thomas to help Ludhiana win the bout 3-0, earning 2 bonus points for his team. In the final bout of the game, Ludhina's Sachin Tomar won the 60kg bout 3-0 to earn another 2 points for his side, and Ludhiana Lions won the match 14-3.
In the undercard of the second match of the day, Umesh Pal had won a bout for Mumbai, while Surendra Saini and Bably won the bouts for Baroda Badshahs to get 2-1 lead. Baroda Badshahs' Harman Mann was stunned by Mumbai Muscle's Kyle Cummings, as the latter not only won the bout with a clean sweep, but also won the 10-second Challenge Round within 1 second to earn 5 bonus points for his side. With a 10-0 win, Kyle showcased his dominance, giving Mumbai Muscle a hefty lead.
Next up for Mumbai, Paarth Sonni faced off against Shamir Khan in a 100+kg bout. With his deadly hook, Paarth left no room for Shamir to script a comeback for Baroda and won the bout comfortably 3-0 to earn 2 more bonus points for his side. With the game already in Mumbai Muscle's kitty, Jogender Yadav came for the final bout against Muzahid Shaikh in 70kg bout, but Muzahid managed to get a consolation 3-1 win for Baroda. Mumbai Muscle won the match 17-5.
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