The third season of Deendayal Trophy in Kollam saw Indian Railways and CISF reach the semifinals of the tournament after they topped their respective groups. Organized by Sooryakanthi Foundation, it is the third year that Deendayal Trophy is being held in Kollam. The tournament has six men's teams participating in the tournament while the women's category has five teams.
The men's category has Indian Railways, Kerala SAI and Haryana Tigers in Pool A, while Pool B has teams of CISF, Sooryakanthi and Sonipat Panthers. The star teams of Railways and CISF have players like Dharmaraj Cheralathan, Parvesh Bhainswal, Shrikant Jadhav, Deepak Narwal, Nitin Rawal, Ravinder Pahal and Vikash Khandola. The top two teams from both the groups moved to the semifinals after having played their league matches.
In women's division, the teams of Indian Railways, Sooryakanthi, Delhi Janices, CISF, and Kerala Queens. They will play round-robin matches with the top two teams moving to the finals.
Get the Deendayal Trophy Season 3 Schedule and Results here
The prize money for the tournament is Rs. 1 lakh, to be given to the winning team. The tournament has full support from the Kerala Kabaddi Federation and has sent the referees to the tournament to make sure the tournament takes place successfully.
Thanks to the efforts of Sooryakanthi Foundation, the sport is getting a new lease of life in Kerala. They have created a strong partnership with the Kerala kabaddi federation and together are forging a new path through this league.
The president of Sooryankanthi foundation Mr. M. Sunil was talking about the love for the sport needing to be supported by bringing the best players to the state. He said, "Funding a tournament of this scale is always a massive effort - but the foundation has tirelessly made this happen. The quality of coverage gives enough reason for this to be a permanent December fixture in the kabaddi calendar."
With the people coming in a big number to watch the tournament, it is for sure that Kerala is supporting the sport from their heart. The crowd is supposed to increase as the semifinals and the finals will be played on 28th and 29th December respectively.