Ashu Malik single-handedly wrote a beautiful script for the Dabang Delhi in match 50 of PKL 11, as he completed his eighth consecutive Super 10 and also secured an impressive 38-38 tie with the Puneri Paltan at the Noida Indoor Stadium on Tuesday.
The stand-in skipper finished with 17 points to ensure that his team went home with half the points on the night.
Puneri Paltan started in a dominating fashion as Akash Shinde took the mantle of the raiding without their skipper Aslam Inamdar. The bright start was carried on by defenders Aman and Abinesh Nadarajan, who won crucial tackle points.
Mohit Goyat inflicted the first ALL OUT of the match on the Dabang Delhi K.C. in the 10th minute, but Ashu Malik, in the absence of Naveen Kumar, became the first raider to 100 raid points in PKL 11 while also keeping his team alive in the game.
Led by Ashu, the Dabang Delhi worked hard to mount a comeback, but the Puneri Paltan defensive duo of Aman and Abinesh showed their class with multiple Super Tackles to their name. Aman completed a well-earned High 5 in the first half itself, as the score read 13-21 in favour of the Puneri Paltan at the end of the first half.
Ashu Malik went on to complete his Super 10– his ninth in 10 games – at the start of the second half but the support was lacking from his teammates.
In comparison, the young guns of Puneri Paltan worked together to keep their team in the hunt for the win. The Dabang Delhi K.C. defenders seemed to fall flat on the night, with the Puneri Paltan inflicting a second ALL OUT on the Dabang Delhi entering the final 10 minutes of the match.
Just when the match seemed to slip from the hands of Dabang Delhi, Ashu Malik turned up the heat. His Super Raid got Sanket Sawant, Mohit Goyat and Aman off the mat, also inflicting an ALL OUT on the Puneri Paltan, turning the tide of the match.
And when it mattered, the Dabang Delhi defenders stepped to the fore. With two minutes remaining, the deficit was reduced to just one point when Pankaj Mohite was successfully tackled by Gaurav Chillar, making for an interesting end to the clash.
In the penultimate raid of the match, Ashu equalized the score by getting Gaurav Khatri off the mat. Eventually, the officials called time on an exciting match that saw Dabang Delhi K.C. score 15 points in the final 10 minutes to seal the tie.
Arjun Deswal stars in Jaipur Pink Panthers' win
Arjun Deshwal capped off an exceptional solo performance to lead the Jaipur Pink Panthers to a 39-32 win over the Bengaluru Bulls in Match 49 of season 11 at the Noida Indoor Stadium on Tuesday.
Arjun scored 19 points for the two-time PKL champions, with the second-highest scorer for the Jaipur Pink Panthers being Lucky Sharma, who completed a High 5 and eventually finished with six points to his name.
In the absence of Pardeep Narwal, Bengaluru Bulls raider Ajinkya Pawar caught the Jaipur Pink Panthers off-guard at the start of the match as he scored early points to give his team an important lead.
Jatin then joined the party as the Bengaluru Bulls inflicted the first ALL OUT of the match on the Jaipur Pink Panthers just eight minutes into the game. Jaipur Pink Panthers skipper Arjun Deshwal carried his team, with seven early raid points, which was enough to keep his team afloat.
Arjun Deshwal scored 19 points against the Bengaluru Bulls. (Photo credit: Pro Kabaddi League)
Slowly but surely, the Jaipur Pink Panthers fought their way back into the game as the first half came to a close.
With two minutes left at the end of the first half and the two teams separated by one point, Arulnanthababu pulled off a Super Tackle for the Bengaluru Bulls. It was a close game through the first half, and Arjun Deshwal completed his fourth Super 10 of the season as he got Arulnanthababu and then Jatin, to take the score to 19-17.
An ALL-OUT inflicted by the Jaipur Pink Panthers on Bengaluru Bulls set the tone for the second half. Ajinkya, who completed 500 Raid Points in the PKL, kept up with his form, but the Bengaluru Bulls lost control of the match. On the other side of the mat, the raid machine for the Jaipur Pink Panthers – Arjun Deshwal – singlehandedly led the charge for his team.
As the match came to a close, the Jaipur Pink Panthers shifted gears to inflict a second ALL OUT on the Bengaluru Bulls, extending their lead to nine points.
With two minutes remaining to the end of the game, Jai Bhagwan completed a Super Raid, but by then the damage was done as the Jaipur Pink Panthers secured a seven-point victory.
