In their last group stage match of the season, defending champions Dabang Delhi secured the last available Pro Kabaddi League playoff spot by holding Bengal Warriors to a high-scoring 46-46 draw on Thursday at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad.
Later on, the Haryana Steelers picked up a big 50-33 win over the Telugu Titans.
The Delhi team joined Jaipur Pink Panthers, Puneri Paltan, Bengaluru Bulls, UP Yoddhas and the Tamil Thalaivas in the playoffs.
Finishing sixth in the league table means Delhi will face third placed Bulls in the first eliminator, while the Yoddhas play the Thalaivas for a spot in the semifinal. By confirming their spot in the top 2, Pink Panthers and the Paltan go straight through to the semifinals.
The Warriors were still in with a mathematical chance of progressing, but needed to score a heavy win over Dabang Delhi. The Bengal team started well, taking a 25-19 lead at the break, only for Naveen Kumar and Co to make a strong comeback in the second half. The Delhi team needed to avoid defeat to confirm their spot in the playoffs.
Naveen starred for the victors by scoring 16 points, while Amit Hooda and Sandeep Dhull scored four tackle points each in defence.
In the second match, coach Manpreet Singh made five changes at halftime to the Haryana Steelers team that came up with a comprehensive win over bottom-placed Titans.
Rakesh Narwal scored 11 points and was supported by Vinay and Lovepreet Singh, who scored seven points each for the winners.
The eliminators are scheduled to take place on December 13 in Mumbai.