Telangana were crowned India’s 2023 American Flag Football Nationals champions in a nail-biting men’s final against Kerala in the Gymkhana grounds of Hyderabad on Sunday. Rajasthan claimed the women’s title by beating Uttar Pradesh.

“We congratulate the Telangana men’s and Rajasthan women’s teams on winning the American Flag Football Nationals 2023 titles in their respective categories,” said Namdev Shirgaonkar, former joint secretary of IOA, Secretary General of the Maharashtra Olympic Association, and founder of American football in India. “This is not like the tackle football that we have become familiar with in India, this game is entirely different and it is not easy to win in such a tough battle.”

Telangana triumphed 16-8 over Kerala as Veera Manikantha Reddy and Sudhir Yadav both scored touchdowns and Santosh Sandri reeled in a pair of two-point conversions. Telangana had defeated Rajasthan to advance to the final, while Kerala overcame Karnataka in the semifinals. Telangana team captains Sudheer Yadav Boini and Veera Manikanta Reddy stood out for coach Praveen Reddy Chintala’s team.

In the women's category, Rajasthan beat Kerala in the semifinals before narrowly winning 8-6 over Uttar Pradesh, who had found their way past Karnataka to reach the finals.

“All the teams played extremely well,” said Koutike Vittal, Brand Ambassador of Flag Football, India. “I am sure that many of these team members are now in contention for a berth in the national team to showcase their talent in the international arena.”

India’s national teams will travel to Malaysia in October to participate at the third continental flag football tournament of 2023, the IFAF Asia/Oceania Flag Football Championships.

In attendance at the finals were Venkatesh Movva, the senior vice president of AFFI and founder of RegenOrthoSport, who has been backing the Telangana team for the past ten years, and Dr. Sandeep Chaudhari CEO of AFFI.