Bhubaneswar: Media XI defeated Officers XI in a penalty Shootout (3-1) after a breathtaking full-time match to win the Tata Steel Friendship Cup Football Tournament 2026 at the Kalinga Stadium today.

Four teams participated in the tournament. Tata Steel XI was led by Vineet Tripathy, Chief O & M, NINL, Leaders XI was led jointly by Rabi Naik, (Minister of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development) and Arun Sahu, (BJD MLA), Officers XI was led by Saswata Mishra, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister and Media XI was led by Sandeep Mishra. (Editor, odishabytes)

The event was graced by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, and Deputy Chief Minister, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Mukesh Mahaling, Minister of Electronics & Information Technology, Health and Family Welfare, Parliamentary Affairs, Rabi Narayan Naik, Minister of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, Suryabanshi Suraj, Minister of Odia Language, Literature & Culture, Higher Education, Sports & Youth Services, Sampad Chandra Swain, Minister of State (Ind),Industries & Minister of State (Ind), Skill Development & Technical Education and many other MLAs from different constituencies of the state.

The Man of the Match for the first match between Tata Steel XI and Officers XI was Dhiman Chakma from Officers XI. The Man of the Match for the second match between Leaders XI and Media XI was Bibhuti Biswal from Media XI. The Man of the Match for the final between Officers XI and Media XI was Ramesh Hansdah from Officers XI.

The trophy distribution saw Sports Lover Award presented to MLA Upasana Mohapatra, while Rishabh Parekh (Media XI) was adjudged the Highest Scorer and Niranjan Reddy (Media XI) the Best Goalkeeper. Sumit Muduli (Media XI) won the Best Defence award, while Dhiman Chakma (Officers XI), Bibhuti Biswal (Media XI) and Ramesh Hansdah (Officers XI) were named Man of the Match in the first, second and third matches, respectively. J.D. Pati was awarded Best Forward, Ramaswamy (Officers XI) won Best Half, and Saswata Mishra (Officers XI) was named Best All-rounder. The Fair Play Trophy went to Dr. Arun Sahoo (Leaders XI). Officers Eleven finished as the Runner-up, while Media Eleven emerged as the Champions.

Speaking on the occasion, Mohan Charan Majhi appreciated the spirited performances of the Officers’ XI, Leaders’ XI and Tata Steel Team, and congratulated all the teams for their enthusiasm and sportsmanship. He said, “such friendly sporting events bring people together and strengthen the bond between the Government, administration, media and Tata Steel. Grateful to Tata Steel for organising this wonderful initiative towards a healthier Odisha.

Other eminent dignitaries present included Saswata Mishra, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister; Bhupendra Singh Poonia, Commissioner-cum-Secretary to the Government for the Sports & Youth Services Department and the Skill Development and Technical Education Department, and Amitabh Thakur, Transport Commissioner-cum-Chairman, State Transport Authority (STA); D.B. Sundara Ramam, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel; and other senior government and Tata Steel officials.

Several eminent senior journalists attended the event, including Tanaya Pattnaik, Editor, Sambad and the Executive Director, Sambad Group ,Tathagata Satpathy, Editor, Dharitri & Orissa Post, K Ravi, Resident Editor, The Statesman, Soumyajit Pattnaik, Editor, Kalinga TV, Gopal Krushna Mohapatra, Editor, Prameya, and Navin Das, Editor, Nirbhaya, among others were present.