Defending champions Dabang Delhi KC were in sublime form as they recorded their second victory at the Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 after defeating Gujarat Giants 53-33 at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday. Leading the charge for Delhi were Naveen Kumar and Manjeet, both of whom registered Super 10s.
In the second match on the night, U Mumba picked up their first win of the season with a 30-23 triumph over UP Yoddhas.
Delhi and Gujarat were both patient to start with in the early exchanges, with neither able to attain a big lead. While Rakesh HS was running the show for the Giants, captain Naveen Kumar was looking to drive his Delhi-side on. The defenders were making quite a match of this as the raiders found it tough to pick up the points.
The second part of the first half though saw Naveen rake up a few quick points for Delhi, who got their noses ahead. Soon after, the Delhi defence inflicted an All Out on the Giants. By the time the first half finished, Rakesh had completed his Super 10 for the Giants, while Naveen and Manjeet were doing most of the heavy lifting for Delhi, who led 21-17 at the break.
The Giants threatened to storm back into the game early in the second half, however, Manjeet and co managed a Super Tackle, helping Delhi to extend their lead further. Delhi was running away with the game, and everyone on the team was chipping in with crucial points as Naveen completed his Super 10 as well.
The Giants tried their best to reduce the gap but defending champions Delhi were far too good, leading by 14 points in the 35th minute. Krishan, Ashu Malik, Manjeet and Vishal backed up the brilliant Naveen superbly as Delhi walked off the mat with a huge victory.
U Mumba pick up first win
Jai Bhagwan and Guman Singh chipped in with raids as U Mumba took a three-point lead at 5-2 in the 7th minute. The U Mumba defense led by Surinder Singh backed their raiders and helped the Mumbai team to keep forging ahead. Rinku pulled off a fantastic tackle against Surender Gill in the 14th minute helping U Mumba stay in the lead at 9-6. Bhagwan picked up a couple of raid points as U Mumba led comfortably at 14-9 at the end of the first half.
Surender Gill effected a brilliant raid in the opening minutes of the second half and kept the UP Yoddhas in the game at 13-15. However, defenders Kiran Magar and Rinku ensured that the side from Mumbai continues to keep its noses in front at 17-13. Ashish effected a multi-point raid in the 30th minute and reduced the UP Yoddhas to just one player on the mat. Soon after, U Mumba tackled Pardeep Narwal and inflicted an All Out to take a massive lead at 23-17. The U Mumba defense unit continued to showcase top form as the Mumbai side attained a 10-point lead at 28-18 in the 36th minute.
The U Mumba raiders treaded carefully in the last few minutes as the team eventually closed out a comprehensive victory.