The historic red soil ground of Vidyarthi Krida Kendra at Parel witnessed another electrifying evening as the semi-final matches of the ‘First Professional Invitational Kho-Kho Tournament 2026’, organised by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Sports Club under the aegis of the Mumbai Kho-Kho Association, kept spectators completely engrossed. High-speed action, strong defence, tactical brilliance and edge-of-the-seat moments created a thrilling atmosphere at the venue. At the end of two exciting semi-finals, Central Railway and Western Railway emerged victorious to set up a much-awaited grand finale clash for the championship title.
Central Railway Edge Past Rachana Notary Works in Thriller
In the first semi-final match, Central Railway defeated Rachana Notary Works by 11-10 (half-time 10-6) with 7.50 minutes remaining to secure a thrilling entry into the final. Central Railway maintained an aggressive approach from the very beginning and controlled the match with disciplined defence and calculated attacks. Shubham Thorat (1.50, 1.40 min defence and 1 point), Avdhoot Patil (2.50 min defence), Ramji Kashyap (1.50 min defence and 3 points), Nikhil B. (2.10 min defence and 1 point), and Milind Chavarekar (2.10 min defence and 1 point) delivered impressive performances to guide their team to victory. For the defeated Rachana Notary Works side, Prathamesh Durgawale (1 min defence and 2 points), Sadashiv Palav (1 min defence), Omkar Mirgal (1.30 min defence), Rupesh Kondhalkar (1.10 min defence and 3 points), and Yash Borkar (1.20 min defence and 1 point) fought bravely, but their efforts were not enough to take the team into the final.
Western Railway Storm Into Final; Maharashtra Post Fall Short
In the second semi-final, Western Railway defeated Maharashtra Post by 8-9 (half-time 4-9), winning by 1 point with 1 inning remaining to enter the final in style. Western Railway dominated the match with excellent strategy, disciplined defence and sharp execution throughout the contest. Outstanding performances came from Rahul Mandal (2.50, 1.30 min defence and 1 point), Mahesh Shinde (1.50, 2.10 min defence), Abhay Ratnakar (2 points), Vrushabh Wagh (3 points), Aditya Ganpule (2.10, 2.30 min defence), Nikhil Sodiye (unbeaten 1.20 min defence and 1 point), and Vijay Shinde (2.40 min defence and 1 point), who played crucial roles in the victory. Maharashtra Post also put up a spirited fight through Tambe (1 min defence), Dheeraj Bhave (1.40 min defence), Pratik Devhare (3 points), Akash Salve (1.20 min defence and 1 point), and Shubham Shinde (1.50 min defence and 1 point), but narrowly missed out on a place in the final.
All Eyes on the Grand Finale
The grand final of the prestigious tournament will now witness a blockbuster clash between Central Railway and Western Railway, promising another spectacular display of speed, agility, teamwork and strategy at Parel’s famous Lal Maidan. Excitement among kho-kho fans has reached its peak as the entire kho-kho fraternity eagerly awaits to see which railway giant will lift the coveted ‘RBI Professional Kho-Kho Tournament 2026’ trophy.