Sunil Jaipal (19 points) ensured that the Indian Railways juggernaut kept rolling in the men’s section of the 63rd Senior National kabaddi championship.
Jaipal, who plays for Bengal Warriors in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), starred in Railways’ 49-17 dismantling of Tripura. With this victory, the side is in prime position to make it to the knockout rounds.
Himachal Pradesh (HP), another favourite, took out Manipur 42-19. HP, which lost to Haryana on the opening day, is now back on course to book a last-16 spot.
In the women’s section, Navyashree (11 points) powered Karnataka past Assam. This is the home team’s third straight victory in these group stages. The remaining league fixtures will be held on Saturday afternoon, and the last-16 and quarterfinal rounds will follow later in the day.
The results (group stage): Men: Indian Railways 49 bt Tripura 17; Tamil Nadu 69 bt Jharkhand 24; Gujarat 45 bt Vidarbha 44; Uttarakhand 46 bt West Bengal (State Unit) 27; Telangana 37 bt Bihar 8; Delhi 25 bt Goa 19; Puducherry 37 bt Chhattisgarh 33; Jharkhand 46 bt J&K 44; HP 42 bt Manipur 19.
Women: Kerala 40 bt Odisha 15; HP 49 bt Telangana 21; UP 66 bt Puducherry 14; Karnataka 44 bt Assam 16; Odisha 44 bt J&K 5; Bihar 23 bt Goa 14.
