Dabang Delhi K.C. defeated Puneri Paltan 6-4 in the tiebreaker on Monday night at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium in a thrilling Qualifier 1. After regulation time, the two teams were tied at 34-34, necessitating their third tiebreaker of the season. The Season 8 winners ultimately prevailed and secured their place in the championship game.
In this Qualifier 1, Saurabh Nandal and Abinesh Nadarajan set the tone with powerful tackles to start the scoring for their respective teams. Soon after, Sandeep and Surjeet Singh’s tackles gave Dabang Delhi an early four-point advantage. They maintained that lead thanks to Ashu Malik’s Do-Or-Die Raid, but it didn’t last long as Gurdeep’s Super Tackle cut the deficit to one point after the first ten minutes, leaving the score at 7-6.
Ashu Malik’s Do-Or-Die Raid from Dabang Delhi K.C. was the game’s first significant blow. The raider then launched a multi-point raid, giving his team a five-point advantage by giving the Puneri Paltan the first ALL OUT. The Season 8 winners appeared to be in control after Surjeet Singh’s tackle increased the margin to seven points.
Aditya Shinde and Pankaj Mohite’s raids, however, were a forceful response from Puneri Paltan. Abinesh Nadarajan and Gurdeep helped their defenders set the tone for a fightback, and Vishal Bhardwaj ultimately assisted them in exacting revenge with an ALL OUT of their own, tying the match at 16-16.
There were 16 tackle points in the first half of a defensive-dominated game, compared to just eleven raid points. Fazel Atrachali and Saurabh Nandal’s tackle ensured that Dabang Delhi maintained a one-point advantage at the end of the second half, with the score standing at 18-17.
The ferocity of the fight was evident on both sides, but the second half got off to a slow start. Before Aslam Inamdar put his team back on level terms and Puneri Paltan started their comeback trail, the two sides used the Do-Or-Die tactic in their early exchanges.
Aditya Shinde’s Super Raid gave them a two-point lead, and with ten minutes remaining, Gaurav Khatri’s two tackles allowed the Paltan accomplish their second ALL OUT of the game, giving them a five-point lead. Aditya Shinde scored two more points to give his team the lead in the match.
However, Dabang Delhi wasn’t prepared to give up just yet. They were able to close the gap to three points thanks to Ashu Malik and Neeraj Narwal’s Super Raid on a Do-Or-Die Raid. Aditya Shinde finished his Super 10, while Aslam Inamdar helped Puneri Paltan keep them at bay.
In the meantime, Neeraj Narwal was dominating the raiding end, giving the Paltan a vital ALL OUT to reduce the score to one point going into the final two minutes. With less than a minute remaining, Sandeep’s tackle enabled Dabang Delhi tie the score at 34-34, setting up a thrilling conclusion to the match.
The top two teams in the league remained tied at 34-34 as they readied themselves for their third tie-breaker of the year, with neither team willing to give up an inch. Dabang Delhi had the vital opportunity in the second raid thanks to a tackle by Saurabh Nandal, and they never looked back.
Ashu Malik and Akshit Dhull put the finishing touches on a 6-4 victory in the tiebreaker, making them the first team to guarantee their spot in the PKL 12 final.
When the Puneri Paltan play Qualifier 2 on Wednesday, they will have another opportunity to go to the finals.
