HMT Colony Boys win the inaugural edition of Red Bull Tashan
After a series of gruelling rounds, the final four teams battled it out in the semi-finals of the first-ever edition of Red Bull Tashan. A competitive kabaddi tournament for players at college and club level, organised in association with the Pro Kabaddi League franchise, Bengaluru Bulls, Red Bull Tashan aims to help develop the ancient and iconic Indian sport at a grass-roots level in the country.
Held at the National Games Village Complex in Koramangala on 24th and 25th May, over 30 teams registered to compete at the inaugural edition of the tournament, with four standing the chance to make it through to the finals, at Play Arena in Kasavanahalli on 27th May.
Ultimately, teams Classical Nationals, Y.F.A. Jaraganahalli, National Sports Club and HMT Colony Boys emerged victorious, and went on to compete for the title of the first-ever Red Bull Tashan champions.
HMT Colony Boys beat National Sports Club in the first Semi-finals by 15 points with Arun from HMT Colony Boys and S. Chetan from Nationals Sports Club being the best raiders in the game. In the second Semi-finals of the kabaddi tournament, Classic Nationals beat Y.F.A Jaraganahalli by 21 points with Yashu from Classic Nationals and Raja from Y.F.A Jaraganahalli being the best raiders in the game.
The winners HMT Colony Boys & Classic Nationals gave their best in the final clash to grab the chance to train with the Bengaluru Bulls team, before the fifth season of the Pro Kabaddi League, which kicks off in July. HMT Colony Boys emerged as the winners of the first edition of Red Bull Tashan by defeating Classic Nationals in a close final clash by 2 points.
Arun from HMT Colony Boys was awarded the raider of the tournament while Naveen from Classic Nationals was declared the defender of the tournament.
Semi-finals & Finals score sheet:
1st Semi-finals | Winners |
HMT Colony Boys vs National Sports Club | HMT Colony Boys |
1st Half Score – 26-10 | |
2nd Half Score – 13-14 | |
Total Score – 39-24 |
2nd Semi-finals | Winners |
Classic Nationals vs Y.F.A. Jaraganahalli | Classic Nationals |
1st Half Score – 22-13 | |
2nd Half Score – 22-10 | |
Total Score – 44-23 |
Finals | Winners |
Classic Nationals vs HMT Colony Boys | HMT Colony Boys |
1st Half Score – 18-12 | |
2nd Half Score – 10-18 | |
Total Score – 28-30 |
Open to players between the ages of 18-24, Red Bull Tashan makes strategy a key component of the matches, which run half the duration of Pro Kabaddi League games.
While in the latter, each half consists of 20 minutes, in the qualifiers of this tournament, each half consisted of only 10 minutes each, making the entire duration of the game 20 minutes. The semi-finals and finals of tournament witnessed matches of 15 minutes each half, making the entire duration of each game 30 minutes.
Harish Naik, Bengaluru Bulls Raider was present at Play Arena to witness great young talent at the semi-finals and finals of the inaugural edition of Red Bull Tashan.
Harish is from a small town Bhatkal in Northern Karnataka, scouted last year by Bengaluru Bulls Head Coach BC Ramesh, has trained hard to prove his potential, and will be a raider to look out for in the fifth season of Pro Kabaddi League. He started playing Kabaddi at the age of 17. His expertise lies in toe-touch, bonus and hand-touch.
Harish Naik commented “Red Bull has taken a very good initiative with the launch of this tournament, Red Bull Tashan. As a platform it will help many young and aspiring Kabaddi players get an opportunity to hone their skills, showcase their talent and learn the technicalities of the game. Identifying players at the grass-root level and giving them good training will be quite beneficial for the sport as well.
“I would like to congratulate and thank Red Bull and Bengaluru Bulls for bringing this together. I hope this tournament helps many aspirants like me to achieve their fullest potential and take Kabaddi to new heights in the coming years.“
Uday Sinh Wala, CEO, Kosmik Global Media, that owns Bengaluru Bulls, says, “Over the past few years, Kabaddi has seen a great resurgence in the country, and now is the time to encourage development for this iconic Indian sport at grass-roots level. We believe that Red Bull Tashan will contribute to precisely this, with its focus on finding talent at a college and club level.
“Bengaluru Bulls is happy to associate with this initiative, and will give talent emerging from this tournament the opportunity to train with the Bengaluru Bulls team at our home stadium, before the commencement of the fifth season of Pro Kabaddi League.”