The UP Yoddhas and Dabang Delhi K.C. were both on song in their opening game of the Pune leg in the Badminton Hall, at the Balewadi Sports Complex during PKL Season 11, on Thursday evening. The two sides traded blows throughout the contest and finished with the scores tied at 32-32. For the UP Yoddhas, Gagan Gowda scored 13 points and Bhavani Rajput bagged 10 points, while Ashu Malik picked up yet another Super 10 for the Dabang Delhi K.C.
Ashu Malik and Gagan Gowda started off brilliantly for the Dabang Delhi K.C. and the UP Yoddhas. It was neck and neck in the early exchanges, with both sides keeping up with each other, and neither able to take the lead. The first ten points of the game were shared equally between the two sides before the UP Yoddhas picked up a slender lead courtesy Gagan Gowda.
Dabang Delhi K.C. and UP Yoddhas Put On a Fantastic Performance in Thrilling Tie
While Gagan Gowda and Bhavani Rajput were sharing the scoring responsibilities for the UP Yoddhas, it was Naveen Kumar and Ashu Malik, who were leading the charge for the Dabang Delhi K.C. As the half wore on, the UP Yoddhas built on their lead, but their opponents made sure they didn’t run away with the contest with some solid defending. Rahul’s Super Tackle and Himanshu’s two-point raid then brought the deficit down to one point, after which the Dabang Delhi K.C. got their noses out in front, just before the break. At half-time, the score read 13-12 to Dabang Delhi K.C.
Early in the second half, the Naveen Express landed an ALL OUT on the UP Yoddhas, to give his side the advantage. The Dabang Delhi K.C. defence were doing well to foil the opposition attacks in the first phase of the half, while Naveen continued to pick up crucial points at the other end. The contest ebbed and flowed, with both sets of raiders giving the defenders a fair bit to think about.
At the half-hour mark, the Dabang Delhi K.C. held the lead and were looking solid. But after a few minutes, Gagan Gowda stepped up and inflicted an ALL OUT on the Dabang Delhi K.C. and that not only saw him register his third Super 10 of the season but also gave the UP Yoddhas the advantage.
Heading into the final five minutes, the Dabang Delhi K.C. had a 3-point lead to overcome, along with the duo of Gagan Gowda and Bhavani Rajput. With less than two minutes in the game, Ashu Malik landed a telling blow, a 2-point raid, that not only tied the scores but also gave him his 13th Super 10 of the season.
In the final minutes, Bhavani Rajput also got his Super 10, however, both sides, who gave it their all, walked off the mat with a tie to their name.
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Defenders take Centre Stage as Jaipur Pink Panthers and U Mumba Play Out Second Tie of the Day
It was truly a night to remember in the Badminton Hall at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune, as the defenders ran the show for both the Jaipur Pink Panthers and the U Mumba, in what was a very tightly fought tie. The two teams ended the game with the scores on 22-22. For U Mumba, Sombir bagged 7 points and Rohit Raghav finished with 4 of his own. On the other hand, the Jaipur Pink Panthers’ Reza Mirbagheri scored 6 points while Ronak Singh added 4 and Ankush Rathee picked up 3.
The U Mumba made a solid start to the game, as they picked up an early 3-point lead. However, both sides had also begun cautiously, which meant points were tough to come by in the early exchanges. The comeback from the Jaipur Pink Panthers was quite quick though courtesy Neeraj Narwal and Surjeet Singh.
As the half wore on, the U Mumba did well to keep the Jaipur Pink Panthers at bay, especially the dangerous Arjun Deshwal. Ten minutes into the game, the U Mumba led by 2 points with the score at 6-4 in their favour. Both sets of defenders were working brilliantly, and making it very tough for the raiders on the night. The likes of Neeraj Narwal and Ajit Chouhan were getting thwarted on their raids, while the defenders were leading the scoring charts for their respective sides. Before the first fifteen minutes of the game, Sombir had registered his High-5 for the U Mumba, who continued to lead. At the half-time break, U Mumba led 12-8.
Early in the second half, Ronak Singh’s Super Tackle helped the Jaipur Pink Panthers level scores with the U Mumba. And after that Shrikant Jadhav put the Season 10 champions in the lead, in what was turning out to be a well-fought contest.
U Mumba though got their noses out in front soon after that, and went into the final 10 minutes of the game with the momentum on their side. In the final phase of play, the Jaipur Pink Panthers needed Arjun Deshwal to step up and U Mumba turned towards the young Ajit Chouhan for inspiration. However, both sets of defenders weren’t on the same page.
With about three minutes to go, Reza Mirbagheri landed a Super Tackle on Ajit Chouhan, and also got to his High-5, to bring Jaipur Pink Panthers back on level terms. Eventually, both teams had to settle for the draw.
