The youthful Puneri Paltan clashed with Dabang Delhi K.C.'s formidable defence, clinching a 30-23 win in their Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) match at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex on Monday. In this defensively charged match, where both teams together scored 17 points in defence, Puneri Paltan's Aslam Inamdar with 8 points and Delhi's Ashu Malik with 9 points emerged as the top raiders.
Puneri Paltan quickly took the lead, and Delhi, without their star player Naveen Kumar, faced difficulties. Delhi's team count diminished rapidly, but a skillful raid followed by Yogesh's SUPER TACKLE temporarily halted Puneri's advance. Nevertheless, Dabang Delhi managed to execute an ALL OUT, gaining a 13-8 lead.
The defensive skills of both teams were equally matched, with Delhi particularly feeling the absence of Naveen in their raiding score. Aslam Inamdar and Mohit Goyat of Puneri Paltan each scored 6 points, enabling their team to lead 18-12 at the halftime break.
Delhi strengthened their defence in the second half, aware of their raiding limitations, and gradually recouped points by compelling Puneri Paltan to either risk more or leave without points.
The match became a showcase of defensive tactics, with raid points becoming rare — only 11 were scored in the second half. Paltan effectively countered Delhi's defensive intensity. Even when reduced to three players, Pankaj Mohite's SUPER TACKLE proved crucial, leading Puneri Paltan to a hard-earned and well-deserved victory.
Bengal Warriors, UP Yoddhas play riveting draw
In an enthralling Pro Kabaddi League Season 10 match at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex on Monday, Bengal Warriors and U.P. Yoddhas ended in a gripping 37-37 draw. Notably, this was the season's second draw, with the Warriors involved in both.
The game was closely contested throughout, as reflected in the score. U.P. Yoddhas' Surender Gill initiated the action with a SUPER RAID, countered by Bengal Warriors through Maninder Singh and Nitin Kumar. Yoddhas' captain Pardeep Narwal took 12 minutes to score his first point, with his team gradually edging ahead.
The Yoddhas were down to four players a few times, but the Warriors' raiders couldn't fully exploit this. Sharp tackles by Nitesh on Maninder and bonus points from Vijay Malik gave the Yoddhas an 18-14 lead at halftime, with neither team able to secure an ALL OUT in a closely fought first half.
The second half saw heightened excitement when Gurdeep's ankle hold on Maninder resulted in a SUPER TACKLE for the Yoddhas. Leading 21-17, their advantage was soon overturned by Shrikant Jadhav’s ALL OUT for the Warriors. Shrikant's agile raid against two defenders, tagging Hitesh and Harendra Kumar, nudged the Warriors ahead 24-23.
However, Surender responded with a SUPER RAID for the Yoddhas, achieving a Super 10 and placing his team in the lead again. His raiding strength was pivotal in reducing the Warriors to a single player. With five minutes remaining, the Yoddhas were up 35-30.
True to the game's pattern, the Warriors rallied back with strong defence and key raids from Maninder. Nitin, the standout player for the Warriors, secured two critical points to tie the score at 36-36. In the final minute, each team scored a point, resulting in a well-fought draw.
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