Dabang Delhi once again demonstrated their class in the Pro Kabaddi League’s 12th season on Tuesday, defeating the Haryana Steelers in a close match at Chennai’s SDAT Multi-Purpose Indoor Stadium.
Ajinkya Pawar took the lead with eight points, and Dabang Delhi won the match in a tie-breaker thanks to Saurabh Nandal’s High Five. Fazel Atrachali, who scored four points and produced a Super Raid in the tie-breaker in his 200th PKL appearance, also celebrated this momentous occasion.
Vinay’s successful raid put the Haryana Steelers ahead early in the game, giving them a good start. Dabang Delhi, however, swiftly answered with points of their own to take the lead. The Steelers maintained their composure and responded with a powerful tackle from Neeraj, who knocked down Ashu Malik, the standout raider for Dabang Delhi, to level the score.
The game remained fairly matched as the two sides kept trading points over the following few minutes. By the time the first half time-out was called, the Steelers had maintained a slim two-point lead at 9-7 thanks to improved defensive and offensive control.
The game was still hotly contested after Dabang Delhi swiftly levelled the score following the restart. With neither team letting the other gain the lead, they battled it out point for point. With a strong defensive effort, the Haryana Steelers broke the tie as the first half came to a close, scoring an ALL OUT to take a 16–12 lead.
Building on that momentum, the Steelers used a disciplined defense and astute raiding to keep their lead. But Ajinkya Pawar’s outstanding Super Raid shortly before halftime gave his team three points and reduced the gap to 18–17. The Steelers had a slim one-point advantage at the end of the first half.
Neeraj Narwal’s brilliant raid to tie the score at 18–18 gave Dabang Delhi a point to start the second half strongly. The Steelers refused to give up and tried to maintain their lead while applying pressure to Dabang Delhi. After their raiders put up a fierce fight, the squad was able to execute an ALL OUT and reduce the deficit to one point.
The contest remained evenly balanced as both teams kept toe-to-toe, trading points with each move. Neither team gave the other a chance to back off as the intensity increased. Midway through the second half, the scoreboard showed how tight the game had been, locked at 27-27, when the time out was called.
Shivam Patare’s assured raid gave the Steelers the first point after the restart, and they got off to a strong start. Rahul gave the Steelers a two-point lead shortly after with another score after a strong tackle.
Dabang Delhi, though, continued to fight. With almost four minutes remaining in the second half, their raiders scored rapid scores to cut the deficit to just one. In his milestone game, Fazel made a spectacular tackle to make the score 31-31.
As time was running out, Fazel demonstrated his class once more. He performed admirably under pressure, scoring a vital point to tie the score at 33-33 and send the match into its ninth tie-breaker of the year.
Dabang Delhi got the tie-breaker off to a great start by taking the lead early on thanks to a strong defensive effort. To make it 2-0, they promptly added another point.
In their second raid, the Haryana Steelers managed to get a point, but Delhi maintained their dominance of the game. Delhi’s lead was increased to 3-1 thanks to Ajinkya Pawar’s excellent raid, which increased pressure on the Steelers. Soon after, Surjeet Singh made it 4-1 with a strong tackle.
With a spectacular Super Raid that earned three vital points and sealed the victory, skipper Fazel Atrachali kept Delhi’s momentum firmly in place. Dabang Delhi sealed the deal with a commanding 9-3 victory to end the tie-breaker in stunning fashion after an exciting match.
