Chhattisgarh Clinches Junior National Gold After 14 Years with Stunning Victory Over Kerala
Published on: May 29, 2026
By: BTNI
Location: Puducherry, India
Chhattisgarh’s girls’ basketball team won the gold medal at the Junior National Basketball Championship organized by the Basketball Federation of India in collaboration with the Puducherry Basketball Association. In the thrilling final match, Chhattisgarh defeated Kerala by 55-51 points to secure the championship title.
For Chhattisgarh, Divya Rangari scored 22 points, while captain Anjali Kodape contributed 14 points. Roomi Konwar and Anjani added 7 points each, while Aditi Kodape scored 3 points and Sara Singh added 2 points, playing crucial roles in the team’s victory. Sophie Sika and Nandani Madho Pradhan also delivered outstanding performances during the final.
Dominant Run to the Championship
Chhattisgarh entered the final after defeating Karnataka 67-62 in the semifinal match. In the quarterfinals, the team overcame Maharashtra with a convincing 56-44 victory.
Notably, due to disputes within the Chhattisgarh State Basketball Association, the Basketball Federation of India had formed an ad hoc committee for the selection of the Chhattisgarh team. The committee was responsible for selecting the state’s best players and sending teams to various national basketball competitions.
Selection Committee Played Crucial Role
The Chhattisgarh team was selected jointly by Shakti Singh Gohil, Chairman of the Selection Committee of the Basketball Federation of India, and Ramkumar, who has served for several years as captain of the Indian Basketball Team and Indian Railways team. Ramkumar has also worked as coach, selector, member of the Khelo India Talent Identification Committee, member of the Talent Research Wing of the Basketball Federation of India, and has been honoured with the prestigious Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award in basketball.
There were no local selectors in the committee. The panel selected talented players from across Chhattisgarh, which is being credited as one of the major reasons behind the team’s remarkable performance after many years.
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Victories Over Strong Teams in League Matches
Before winning the title, Chhattisgarh had already made headlines by defeating powerhouse teams Tamil Nadu and Karnataka during the league stage. Tamil Nadu had been winning gold medals consistently for the past several years.
Throughout the tournament, players including Divya Rangari, Roomi Konwar, Aditi Kodape, Anjali Kodape, Anjani, Sophie Sika and Nandani Madho Pradhan delivered excellent performances for Chhattisgarh.
Team Composition and Coaching Staff
The Chhattisgarh girls’ team comprised: Anjali Kodape (Captain), Aditi Kodape, Anjani, Roomi Konwar, Sophie Sika and Nandani Madho Pradhan — all from Sarvagya Rao Basketball Academy, Rajnandgaon; Natasha Prajapati from SAI Training Centre Rajnandgaon; Divya Rangari from Mahasamund; Parul Verma and Nitya Pandey from Raipur; and Kalash Jha and Sara Singh from Bhilai.
The team was coached by international coach Kalwa Rajeshwar Rao, with Lumendra Sahu (SECR) serving as assistant coach and Anita Tirkey from Surguja district acting as team manager.
All the girls from Sarvagya Rao Basketball Academy Rajnandgaon are students of Delhi Public School Rajnandgaon, which has provided them free admission to support their sporting talent.
