KOK News Correspondent: Crusaders enter a testing phase

A series of close finishes have left the crusaders with a disheartened second position as Crusaders finished close second to Bodacious Bandits in the Marquity ka Karmyudh, thus conceding 50 points towards KOK, and badminton semi finals. It were the engrossing turn of events in the badminton semi finals that almost saw Crusaders create an upset when they lead 2-1 at the half stage with Nikhil defeating Karan and Madhur getting the better of Pramod. The only victory thus far for Bandits was Deepa's win over Konyaka.

Crusaders entered the badminton men's doubles with high voltage energy and were cruising with a 17-12 lead in the first set when Karan changes a few gears and directed the play by winning crucial points at an important juncture. His poise couples with a few unforced errors saw Bandits make a comeback and win the first set. In the second set, neither team gave anything up and the match went to the tie breaker. bandits held their nerves to emerge victorious and equal the semi-final equation at two games apiece. Clearly, it was Karan who overshadowed the match making up for his loss in the singles. The story continued in the mixed doubles where Aman-Geetu bowed down to Pramod-Deepa in again a closely contested match. 

Camineys had a disappointing end to the marketing campaign after losing by three points. Although the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow, nevertheless the Crusader's participation in numbers was a great motivation. All the available Crusaders put their hands up and made themselves available. Be it Megha, Shauvik, Konyaka, Madhur, Mohit, Neha, Amrut, Anket (in spirit), Abhishek and others, everyone contributed wholeheartedly.

These close misses have opened a pandora's box with Bandits also coming into the picture as a contender for the KOK championship. The next few days will decide the outcome with a host of finals lined up. Crusaders face up against Bheydiyas in the Cricket finals. It is expected to be a close contest although Bhediyas are firm favourites after having defeated Crusaders convincingly during the group stage.