Four players from Ludhiana were part of the Punjab team that won the bronze medal at the 31st sub-junior national baseball championship held at KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, from May 24 to 29. The tournament was organised by the Baseball Association of Odisha under the Amateur Baseball Federation of India and featured teams from 18 states.
The Ludhiana players in the squad were captain Mankirat Singh, Chirag, Ayush and Ratan Kumar, who delivered notable performances during Punjab’s campaign.
Punjab opened its campaign with a 5-0 win over Telangana, with Mankirat Singh scoring one run.
In the next match, Punjab defeated Uttar Pradesh 10-0. Ratan Kumar and Arshdeep Singh scored two runs each, while Ayush contributed one run.
Punjab defeated Andhra Pradesh 9-1 in the quarter-final before losing 8-1 to Maharashtra in the semi-final.
In the third-place playoff, Punjab beat Delhi 9-5 to secure the bronze medal, with Ratan Kumar and Ayush among the contributors.
Karamveer Singh was named best catcher of the tournament.
Punjab Baseball Association president Sukhdev Singh Aulakh and secretary Harbir Singh Gill congratulated the players and support staff after the tournament