Durai Singam and Samy Academy advance to the Quarter Finals on Day 1 of the Summit Round

Walking into the Velammal Bodhi Campus in Chennai, teams knew they wouldn’t get a second chance. It was do or die, so tensions were high as teams warmed up to take the floor. The first matchup was between Durai Singam and Sivagangai Warriors. Termed Eliminator 1, Durai Singam beat Sivagangai Warriors by 8 points (35-27). Venkateswaran’s 10 points led Durai Singam’s victorious efforts, while the rest of the team chipped in during important plays. Sivagangai Warriors orchestrated a mid-game comeback with the help of Arvinthapandian and R. Santhosh, but soon they fumbled, losing the opportunity to proceed further in the tournament.

Eliminator 2 saw Samy Academy beat Kattakudi Sports with a score of 41-33. Samy Academy had barely made it to the top 10, but in this face-off, they looked flawless. They saw three stars respond to their call of duty and take the edge over Kattakudi Sports. These stars were Kesavan Raja, Linga Raj, and Mukesh Kannan.

In the afternoon, NA Academy played Nellai Kings in the first quarter-final of the tournament. Led by a complete team effort, NA Academy bagged 12 tackle points, 15 raid points, and 2 all-out points. With this jaw-dropping effort, they dominated Nellai Kings, who saw sparks of hope in their 17 raid-point effort. After the final whistle, the scoreboard read 29-23, which meant NA Academy had found a spot in the semi-finals, and Nellai Kings' campaign had officially ended.

The final match was Quarter-Final 2 between Karpagam University and Chennai Sports. Chennai Sports won the toss and, up until the scoreboard read 14-14, it was a neck-to-neck battle. But then, Karpagam’s successful raid switched the gears of the match, and there was no stopping Karpagam. They dominated on both ends of the floor and saw a complete team effort, led by Manikandan Nesamani’s 9 tackle point effort. Chennai Sports walked knowing their tournament had ended; Karpagam cheered on as the final scores read 34-23.

As the day ended, Durai Singam and Samy Academy looked forward to tomorrow’s quarterfinals. Durai Singam will take on Vels University, while Samy Academy will face PRIST University. It sure won’t be easy, but it’s going to be a thriller.