Cuttack, Dec 24 (IANS): The second edition of the Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK) kicked off with an electrifying opening ceremony along amid cheers echoed across the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium as the vibrant crowd gathered for this thrilling event on a lively Sunday.

The much-awaited second season of UKK was inaugurated in the presence of Tenzing Niyogi, CEO & League Commissioner, Ultimate Kho Kho, Sudhanshu Mittal, President, Kho Kho Federation of India, Tusharkanti Behera, Odisha Sports Minister and Indian women's kho kho team captain Nasreen Shaikh.

The owners and representatives of six franchises, Srinath Chittoori (Chennai Quick Guns), Vinay Singh (Gujarat Giants), Punit Balan (Mumbai Khiladis), Ranjit Parida (Odisha Juggernauts), Jigar Shah (Rajasthan Warriors) and PKSV Sagar (Telugu Yoddhas) also attended the flashy opening ceremony.

Promoted by Amit Burman in collaboration with the Kho Kho Federation of India, Ultimate Kho Kho became a huge hit in the first season, emerging as India’s third-largest non-cricket league in terms of television viewership.

It also became the first Indian sports league to secure Series A funding, courtesy of the UK-based BNP Group.