Jaipur Ninjas, making their debut in the Patanjali Powervita Pro Wrestling league Season 2, began on a bright note as they defeated NCR Punjab Royals 5-2 in the second tie of the action-packed extravaganza at the K D Jadhav Indoor Stadium on Tuesday. Jaipur Ninjas, who won the toss, decided to block the 65 kg Men's category. Punjab, led by 2016 Olympics Gold medalist Vladimir Khinchegashvili, won the toss and blocked 48 kg Women's category.
The first bout in the presence of Bollywood star Sunny Deol, who was rooting for the Punjab team, was contested between Jitendra from Punjab and Georgian Jakob Makarashvili from Jaipur in the 74 kg Men's category. Jitendra began positively, scoring points early on before Makarashvili staged a comeback, banking on his experience and power to outdo Jitendra. Jaipur won the first bout 12-4.
19-year-old Manju Kumari was the next grappler from Punjab, taking on Pooja Dhanda from Jaipur. In the second round, Pooja came back with more purpose, scoring four points to win the 58 kg Women's bout and give Jaipur a 2-0 lead in the tie.