Shiv Prakash returned a four-under 68 to lead the pack after 18 holes. Gaurav Ghei carded three-under 69 to share the joint second spot with Amritinder Singh and Vivek Bhandari. That also puts Ghei in a situation where he could aim at retaining the title here.

This is Ghei's first tournament since the Classic Indian Open in Calcutta where he tore a hip muscle midway through the tournament. That put him out of tournament play for about a month.