Dabang Delhi defeated the Jaipur Pink Panthers 36-35 in a thrilling match at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag on Sunday. Ashu Malik scored 21 points, and Nitin Kumar and Sahil Satpal’s Super 10s were unsuccessful due to the former’s schoolboy error.
With a brilliant raid, Ashu Malik gave Dabang Delhi the lead, but Nitin Kumar of the Panthers swiftly answered. Both teams tested one another in the early exchanges, which were evenly matched. Ashu Malik was pinned down by a great tackle by the Panthers to level the score at 2-2.
Soon after, Dabang Delhi restored the lead with a powerful tackle of their own. Nitin’s two pivotal raid points to put the Jaipur Pink Panthers ahead 6-3 were the high point of the first five minutes. The Panthers held their lead until Dabang Delhi equalized the score at 7-7 with a Super Tackle.
Following the first Time Out, the Pink Panthers gained momentum again. Sahil Satpal scored three points and put the Panthers back in control with an incredible Super Raid. Dabang Delhi soon found themselves under duress as the Pink Panthers extended their lead to 14–10 with an ALL OUT.
Jaipur remained dominant in the last moments of the first half. Sahil helped his squad increase their lead to 18–13 by contributing two more raid points. The Panthers had a 20–15 lead at the interval and were well in control of the game.
Ashu Malik’s brilliant raid to start the second half for Dabang Delhi was shortly followed by Nitin of the Pink Panthers, who increased their lead to 21-16. Ajinkya Pawar’s raid shortly before the Time Out helped Dabang Delhi rally and bring the score closer to 22–24.
The Pink Panthers attempted to regain control after the Time Out, but Ashu’s subsequent successful raid kept Dabang Delhi in the match. Before Dabang Delhi’s pivotal ALL OUT gave them a 29-28 advantage, the match was equally balanced.
After that, Nitin scored once more to tie the game at 30-30, but Ashu Malik quickly gave Dabang Delhi the lead again with a two-point burst, making it 32-31. With little separating the two teams going into the final minutes, the Pink Panthers were able to stay in contact.
Nitin Kumar pulled off another successful raid with two minutes remaining, bringing the score to 33-33. After that, the Panthers’ defense made a crucial tackle on Ashu Malik to put them ahead 34–33. With nine seconds remaining, they quickly added another point to take a 35–34 lead.
However, the final raid changed the course of the contest dramatically. After failing to cross the boundary line, Nitin Kumar made a costly error that cost Dabang Delhi two points through a Super Tackle. In an exciting finale, Dabang Delhi defeated the Jaipur Pink Panthers 36-35, and that mistake secured the victory.
