Chandigarh, Oct. 23 -- The semi-finals of the fourth edition of the Chandigarh Golf League will be played on Thursday at Chandigarh Golf Club, deciding the two teams that will advance to Saturday's grand final. In the first semi-final, The Mulligans will take on Sultans of Swing, while the second semi-final will be contested by the two-time defending champions Captain's 18 and Punjab Aces. With 71 matches, 497 games and 852 rounds of golf, it will be down to the final four matches - two semis, one final and a third-place match to determine the champions and the three runners up. Captain's 18 stormed into the semi-final for the fourth edition in a row and are the only team to do so. After finishing fourth in the inaugural edition, they have won back-to-back titles in contrasting fashion. In 2023, they were the dominant team with an unbeaten campaign after winning all six of their round robin matches and the three knockout matches. The 2024 edition, was a different story when they had to struggle throughout the season after a couple of early reverses in the round robin phase. In fact, after they posted a record 7-0 in the Super 12 qualifier, they had to fight through two playoffs in the quarters and semis. The final against Partee Panthers was also halved after five holes of playoff could not separate the two teams. On the eve of the semi-final, Randeep Singh, Captain and co-owner of the team, said, "In the last two years also, Captains 18, as a team, has developed a strong bond, respect and understanding between players and all stakeholders which helps bring out the best on the golf course. Happy and proud to be in the semi-finals and looking forward to an exciting and competitive match with the Punjab Aces." Their opponents, the Punjab Aces are back in the semis after two years. In the inaugural edition, they had suffered a heartbreaking loss against the Canam Raptors and settled for the runners-up position. This, despite holding the record for the biggest win that year with a near perfect 6.5-0.5 result against the Tee Birds. The Aces are one of the few teams who have made the knockouts every season and saw exits in the quarter final in 2023 and the Super 12 qualifier last season. Their head-to-head against the Captain's 18 stands at one apiece after they avenged their 2.5-4.5 loss back in 2023 with a 5-2 win earlier this season during their round robin match. "We are looking forward to the semi-finals. Our singles are on fire, and our pairings are well-tested and robust, so we're very confident as we prepare to take on Captain's 18 once again, and are raring to go all the way," said Gurmeet Johal, owner, Punjab Aces. The first semi-final will see The Mulligans reaching the stage for the third consecutive season. Looking a much settled line up this year, they will be hoping to make it to the final after twice having to taste defeat in gut-wrenching playoffs. After missing out on the knockout stage in the first year, The Mulligans have finished third and fourth in the last two seasons. They have a perfect record against their opponents, Sultans of Swing, after beating them twice last year - once in the round robin and again in the quarter finals. Skipper Bismad Singh was measured in his reflection of their campaign saying, "We knew it would be tough, but we managed to stick to our game plan and execute when it counted. We respect every team left in the field, but we're going to keep our heads down, stay focused, and give it everything we have to advance." Sultans of Swing made the headlines for making it this far for the first time and are really relishing the opportunity to contest a semi-final. After underwhelming first two seasons, where they finished in the lower half of the table, they have flipped the narrative and have now received a bye into the quarter finals for the second year running. They will be out to avenge their quarter final defeat at the hands of The Mulligans last year after breaking the knockout shackles against joint defending champions Partee Panthers in their last game....