So Haryana aren't the national wrestling champions after all.
But the wrestling moves on display at India's inaugural Pro Wrestling League title ran the gamut of manoeuvres on the mat. Even more interestingly, this is one of the few professional leagues in the country where both women and men compete.
In a dominating display, Mumbai Garuda outclassed Haryana Hammers 7-2 in the final to clinch the title. Mumbai’s victory was even more sweeter as they fought back from 2-1 down to romp home 7-2.Adeline Gray, the captain of the Garudas – who comes from a family of wrestlers – kickstarted the comeback for her team in the fourth bout, making easy work of Haryana’s Geetika Jakhar (video above), a Commonwealth Games and Asian Games medal-winner.
Mumbai won all their next bouts, not letting Haryana into the game. Odikadze Elibar’s 6-4 victory over Haryana’s Andriitesey Valeri sealed the game for Mumbai, making the next two bouts inconsequential.
However there were reports of mismanagement and chaos through the event, with both teams allegedly fighting backstage and organisers having problems dealing with unruly fans. Reports also mentioned that professional boxer Vijender Singh left the venue in a huff as one of his guests was allegedly asked to leave, though he did give a televised interview (above).
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