Dabang Delhi K.C. defeated Gujarat Giants 38-28 to complete the Vizag leg of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 at the Vishwanadh Sports Club on Thursday. With 14 points, captain Ashu Malik spearheaded the attack, and Fazel Atrachali’s High Five solidified the defense as the team maintained their undefeated start to the season.
Ajinkya Pawar and Ashu Malik combined for five raid points, while Fazel Atrachali and Sandeep held firm in defense as the table toppers led 8–6 at the 10-minute mark. When it came to Do-Or-Die situations, Ajinkya excelled, while Ashu eliminated Shadloui to maintain the Season 8 champions’ lead.
With three raid points and a few goals from Rakesh, Aryavardhan Navale shone out for the Giants. The game was evenly matched in the first half, though, as the Giants were unable to completely capitalize on Dabang Delhi’s pointless raids due to failed Do-Or-Die opportunities.
But in the game’s second phase, the script was altered. After Rakesh was successfully tackled by Sandeep Deswal, Ashu launched two more successful raids, first taking out Shubham Kumar and then Sumit. As a result, the Giants were down to just one player, Parteek Dahiya, who was finally given the ALL OUT by Fazel Atrachali.
The rest of the first half was characterized by this. After a difficult start, Ashu performed two consecutive multi-point raids to finish his fifth consecutive Super 10, while Shadloui struggled to make an impression and failed to open his account. Dabang Delhi had a dominating 21-14 lead at the half thanks to Ajinkya’s excellent assistance.
After several successful raids from Dabang Delhi, the Giants faced the threat of another ALL OUT, but Rakesh stopped it with a touch point on Surjeet Singh. When Ashu unintentionally entered the lobby, a Super Tackle ensued.
But the ALL OUT showed up before the third quarter ended, so it turned out to be only a minor comeback. Rakesh did not impress after being tackled by Saurabh Nandal, while Shadloui kept struggling. With ten minutes remaining, the score was 31-21 after Fazel took down Aryavardhan and Ashu scored the second ALL OUT by touching Shadloui.
Parteek Dahiya’s successful raid on Neeraj Narwal and subsequent multi-point raid that eliminated Surjeet and Sandeep appeared to be consoling. However, Dabang Delhi had a quick answer for each point the Giants scored.
Fazel Atrachali completed his High Five after tackling Parteek as the game came to an end, giving Dabang Delhi yet another decisive victory. With successful tackles on Ajinkya and Mohit, Shadloui eventually made his debut, but it was too little, too late. With Ashu Malik leading the way with assurance, Dabang Delhi won by 10 points to make it five straight victories.
