Dabang Delhi came up with a thrilling 35-32 win over the Haryana Steelers at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday, before the Telugu Titans slumped to a heavy 29-54 defeat to the Tamil Thalaivas in their last home-match this Pro Kabaddi League season.
Delhi’s Ashu Malik managed to pull off two raid points in the dying seconds of the match to help his team to the win in a tight opening game of the day.
Vinay picked up three raid points as the Steelers inched ahead at 4-2 in the fifth minute. However, Ashish and Vikrant effected brilliant tackles and helped the Dabang Delhi clinch the lead at 6-5 soon after.
Malik pulled off a brilliant raid as the Delhi side continued to forge ahead. Malik caught out Jaideep Dahiya and Yogesh tackled Ashish as Dabang Delhi inflicted the first all out of the match.
Siddharth Desai effected a raid and Rahul Sethpal tackled Manjeet, but the Delhi side still held a decent lead at 14-9. Vishal Bhardwaj and Yogesh picked up tackle points in quick succession as Dabang Delhi stayed ahead at 15-10 in the 17th minute. The Steelers tackled Manjeet in the dying minutes of the first half, but the two teams went into the break with the Delhi side leading at 18-13.
Desai pulled off a double-point raid in the opening minutes of the second half and narrowed the gap between the two sides. The Steelers rode on the momentum and inflicted an all out to take the lead at 23-21. Desai continued to showcase brilliant form as the Steelers stayed ahead at 27-24 in the 30th minute. However, the Delhi side fought back and levelled the scores at 28-28.
Desai effected a raid to help the Steelers inch ahead, but Malik pulled off a magnificent raid soon after and locked the scores at 31-31. Malik effected two raids brilliant raids in the dying seconds of the game and helped the Delhi side clinch a thrilling win in the end.
Titans lose last home game
The Tamil Thalaivas silenced a raucous home crowd beating the Telugu Titans 54-29. An incredible defensive performance saw the Thalaivas log 24 tackle points and three super tackles as they took a well deserved victory.
Pawan Sehrawat brought the crowd to their feet and sparked the game to life with a super raid to take out three Tamil Thalaivas players in the fifth minute of the game. The raid turned a deficit into a one point lead for the Telugu Titans. With their numbers reduced, the Thalaivas were struggling. But the tables were turned soon after as Himanshu's super tackle on Sehrawat kept them in the game and re-established their lead.
Himanshu's heroics were a key reason for the Thalaivas’ incredible defensive performance in the first half, where they logged an outstanding 11 tackle points. They got the first all out of the game to take a 14-6 lead and went into the break leading by nine points.
There was no let up to their dominance in the second half either, and defensively, if anything they got even better. They inflicted a second all out on the Telugu Titans to take a 29-15 lead and then a third all out within five minutes of that to further streak into a lead.
By the end of the game, the Tamil Thalaivas were cruising and despite Sehrawat's 10 point game, there was little the Titans could do but save face in front of a home crowd. A final super tackle in the final minute of the game on Sehrawat was the cherry on top of an incredible Tamil Thalaivas performance.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!