The Telugu Titans ended their run of seven successive losses on Saturday, at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad after scoring a 49-32 win over the UP Yoddhas.
Earlier in the day, Dabang Delhi picked up a 39-33 win over U Mumba.
The Titans’ win extended the Yoddhas losing slump and gave the home team a much-needed boost in front of a their home crowd.
The first half was defined by the whims of the Telugu Titans’ Pawan Sehrawat, who found form and grit at the perfect stage in front of the home fans. Sehrawat scored 16 points and set the tone for the Titans’ dominance on the day.
They inflicted the first all out in the 10th minute of the game to take a 15-9 lead and never let go after that. The Telugu Titans managed to keep out Pardeep Narwal through the half to boost their dominance and take a 24-16 lead at the break.
The onslaught continued into the second half and within three minutes the Titans inflicted a second all out to extend their lead. Even as Sehrawat led the charge, his teammate Omkar Patil’s crucial points kept the Yoddhas on the back foot.
By the time they got their third all out, it was clear the Titans would run away with the win. Patil and Sehrawat both completed their super 10s as the Yoddhas slumped to another huge loss.
Dabang Delhi beat U Mumba
Dabang Delhi returned to winning ways as they earned a 39-33 win over U Mumba. Ashu Malik played a captain’s role for the Delhi team again as he bagged an impressive 17 raid points, while Guman Singh was U Mumba’s key performer with 13 raid points.
It was a topsy-turvy contest to begin as both sides traded the lead frequently. U Mumba inched ahead to lead 9-5, but then Dabang Delhi struck back through some resolute defending. Vishal Bhardwaj came off the bench to execute 2 super tackles and Delhi were back in business.
However, it was U Mumba who grabbed an all out in the dying stages of the half to take a slender lead. But Dabang Delhi found a way back into the game via a multi-point raid from Malik that saw both sides go into the break tied at 16-16.
Delhi upped the ante in the second half as Malik grabbed three quick points before Pranay Rane stepped into the lobbies for an all out and the team from Delhi took the lead. They led 22-17 with three minutes played in the second half.
Dabang Delhi calmly extended their lead and it looked like they were running away with the game until Guman Singh produced a marvellous super raid. He escaped the clutches of four defenders to give his side a fighting chance at 28-25. That raid also brought up his sixth Super 10 of the season.
With 10 minutes left, Delhi were down to three men and U Mumba sniffed a comeback. They made an inspired substitution as Heidarali Ekrami came off the bench to pick up a couple of crucial points to reduce the deficit to just three points at 33-36, but an excellent super tackle from Manjeet in the final minute saw Dabang Delhi snap up a thrilling victory.
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