Naveen Kumar’s 23rd straight Super 10 ensured Dabang Delhi K.C. remain perfect in vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 8, beating U Mumba 31-27.
Captain Joginder Narwal was the star of the show on defence for his side, picking up four tackle points.
U Mumba got off to a fast start, courtesy of strong work from their defence and a couple of raid points from Abhishek Singh and V Ajith Kumar. Leading 5-2, U Mumba were looking to hammer home their advantage and inflict an All Out, but Naveen Kumar’s four quick points put them on the back foot.
An 8-3 run from Dabang Delhi K.C. left U Mumba with just one man on the mat and staring at an All Out. But substitute Shivam Anil made a telling difference off the bench. He first picked a couple of points to revive all-rounder Mohsen Maghsoudlou and then Super Tackle Naveen Kumar to ensure U Mumba went into the break leading 12-10.
Anil continued his stellar work at the start of the second half, picking up a couple of raid points to reduce Delhi down to just three. U Mumba’s defence pinned down substitute Neeraj Narwal before Abhishek Singh picked off Delhi’s remaining two defenders in the same raid to help his side inflict an All Out and take a 19-10 lead.
With his team down nine points, Naveen scored four on the trot to help Delhi cut the deficit to just five. The defence also followed suit, pinning down two U Mumba raiders to leave them with just a solitary defender on the mat. Naveen picked up his ninth raid point of the night, helping Delhi inflict an All Out and level the score at 20-20.
Naveen and the defence continued to pile on the points, embarking on a 6-3 run and building a three-point lead over U Mumba. With just under three minutes left, Naveen delivered the decisive blow with a Super Raid to put Delhi up by nine. U Mumba did manage to cut the deficit with three quick raid points, but Delhi held their nerve to win by four points.
Pawan Sehrawat and defence land Bengaluru Bulls their maiden win of Season 8
Nine raid points from Pawan Sehrawat and a 14-point performance for their defence saw Bengaluru Bulls register a 38-30 win over the Tamil Thalaivas on Friday. Saurabh Nandal led the way on defence for the Bulls with a High 5.
The defences dominated the opening ten minutes, with raid points available at a premium and the game tied at 7-7. A couple of quick raid points from Bharat woke up the Bulls’ offence, which was supported well by their defence.
After a tough start, Sehrawat finally found his groove and added a couple of raid points to his tally to reduce the Thalaivas down to just a solitary man on the mat. The defence allowed a bonus but ensured they picked up the All Out and gave the Bulls a 17-11 lead in the contest. Sehrawat threatened to take the game away from the Thalaivas with a two-point raid, but they answered with a couple of points of their own to go into the halftime break trailing 13-19.
The opening 10 minutes of the second half saw the two teams score in bursts. The Thalaivas picked up six unanswered points to inflict an All Out and take a 22-19 lead. The Bulls fired back with six straight of their own to take a three-point lead, but a Super Tackle from Sagar and Manjeet’s fourth raid point of the night levelled the scores at 25-25.
The Bulls finally managed to take the game away from the Thalaivas, courtesy of Bharat’s fifth raid point of the night, followed by a two-point raid from Chandran Ranjit that helped them inflict an All Out. The Thalaivas attempted a comeback, but skipper Sehrawat picked up a couple of raid points, and the Bulls defence came through towards the end to ensure victory for the Bulls.
Bengal Warriors survive Gujarat Giants’ late surge to register second straight win
A late-night thriller in Bengaluru saw the Bengal Warriors survive a late scare from the Gujarat Giants and win 31-28. Maninder Singh led his side with nine raid points, while all-rounder Rakesh Narwal was the Giants’ top scorer with 12 points.
The first half was a cagey affair, with neither team letting the other pull away on the scoreboard. The defences suffocated the raiders for points, with only Rathan K and Maninder Singh finding success early in the game.
The contest finally came to life almost three-quarters of the way into the first half. The Giants managed to reduce the Warriors down to three through some stout defending, but two quick Super Tackles from Bengal’s defence saw them build a slender lead. The Warriors’ defence added a couple of more points to their team’s tally, while a successful Do-or-die raid from Akash Pikalmunde saw the Giants reduced to just three on players on the mat and trailing by five at halftime.
The Giants managed to resist an All Out courtesy of a couple of raid points and a Super Tackle from their defence. But Mohammad Nabibakhsh came to the fore and broke the Giants’ resistance, helping his side inflict the game’s first All Out.
Trailing by six, the Giants’ defence tried to force the issue, which allowed Maninder and Pikalmunde to pick up a few raid points. But raider Rakesh Narwal kept the deficit within grasp and his side in the game.
Raider Mahendra Rajput came off the bench to provide a late spark as the Giants cut the lead to just two points. With less than a minute left, captain Maninder Singh shouldered the responsibility of winning the game for his side, and he delivered, picking up a raid point that gave the Warriors a three-point cushion.
The Giants continued to try till the final whistle, but it wasn’t to be, as the reigning champions maintained their perfect start to the campaign.