Chennai, February 15th, 2024: The defending Champions Ahmedabad Defenders picked up a comprehensive 15-10, 15-11, 15-12 win over the hosts Chennai Blitz at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai on Thursday to kick off the third season of RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23. Muthusamy Appavu was named the Player of the Match.
The Defenders did not get off to the best of starts, with Leandro Jose combining with skipper Akhin GS. But the momentum turned for Ahmedabad after a quick advice from coach Dragan Mihailović. Ilya Burau made up for the absence of Danial Moatazedi, with stunning smashes down the right channel. Blitz found little answers for Max Senica’s serves, while unforced errors further hurt their cause.
Skipper Muthusamy Appavu remained the backbone for Ahmedabad, as he kept serving up balls in equal measure to all his players, keeping Blitz guessing from where the attack could come from. Midway through the game, Ahmedabad began misfiring, and Blitz found an opening. But Muthu’s perfect pass to Angamuthu brought a super point in the Defenders’ corner and the door was shut as quickly as it was opened.
Leandro kept earning pickings points for Chennai, but Nandagopal, and Angamuthu kept control of the outside lines deep into the game. With a resounding win in straight sets, the Defenders proved their title win was not a fluke.
Following the success of the first two seasons, the third season of the ‘Asli Entertainer’ RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 will be aired on Sony Sports Network in five languages – English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. Fans can anticipate another thrilling season of RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 and experience the excitement of top-tier teams battle it out on the volleyball court starting 15th February 2024, 6:30 PM onwards, Live on Sony Sports Network and will be available to livestream on SonyLiv.
