Dabang Delhi K.C., on Thursday (September 4), ended Puneri Paltan’s unbeaten run in the ongoing PKL 2025 with a thrilling victory at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag. The cracking contest went right down to the wire and was eventually decided by the Golden Raid.
For Dabang Delhi K.C., their captain fantastic Ashu Malik led from the front once again by scoring yet another Super 10 while Fazel Atrachali got a High Five. While the win was Delhi’s second in as many games, Puneri Paltan’s three-match winning run came to an end following the defeat.
Dabang Delhi K.C. clinch thriller:
In-form Puneri Paltan started the game in a fine fashion as they came up with a successful raid and tackle to take a 2-0 lead. Dabang Delhi K.C. did not take long to get off the mark either thanks to a tackle from Atrachali. The game was finely poised in the early stages as the Delhi-based outfit held a narrow 8-6 lead at the time of first Time Out.
Puneri Paltan were quick to fight back with a Super Tackle and leveled the scores at 8-8. However, Dabang Delhi K.C. managed to regain the momentum towards the end of the half. Captain Malik came up with a brilliant Super Raid that saw his team earn three points and take a 12-10 lead.
At half-time, Dabang Delhi K.C. had an 18-13 lead. Puneri Paltan came out all guns blazing in the second half and reduced the deficit to 17-19. With Atrachali making an uncharacteristic error, Paltan further reduced the gap to 18-19. It was followed by an all out from the Paltan as they finally took a 22-21 lead to turn the game on its head.
They went on to extend the lead to 24-21 to put themselves in the driver’s seat. However, the game was not done yet. Just when it looked like the Paltan had the proceedings under their control, Dabang Delhi K.C. clawed their way back into the game and cut the deficit to 24-26.
The game was at 27-28 in Paltan’s favour when Delhi denied Sachin from crossing the Baulk Line and leveled the score at 28-28 to force a tie-breaker. Even in the tie-breaker, both the teams traded blows and ended at 5-5 after the set of raids.
The match was finally decided by a Golden Raid. Delhi handed the responsibility to their captain Malik after winning the toss. Malik showed his experience and earned a Bonus Point as well as a Touch Point on Gaurav Khatri. It sealed a thrilling win for the Delhi-based outfit.
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