New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANS) Puneri Paltan fought off the Dabang Delhi K.C. bravely to secure an impressive 6-5 win after the match was tied at 38-38 in Season 12 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Thyagaraj Stadium on Sunday night. It was an important victory that took Puneri Paltan to the top of the standings on points difference after an all-round performance led by Pankaj Mohite (7) and skipper Aslam Inamdar (6).

It was also the 10th tie-breaker of the season as Ajinkya Pawar’s Super 10 and Saurabh Nandal’s High Five went in vain.

Puneri Paltan made a strong start against Dabang Delhi K.C., asserting early dominance in the opening ten minutes of the contest. With their raiders in fine touch, the Paltan raced ahead through the sharp attacks of Pankaj Mohite and Aditya Shinde, who consistently found gaps in Dabang Delhi’s defence.

For Dabang Delhi, the start was far from ideal. Their key raiders, Ajinkya and Neeraj, struggled to break through, while Fazel Atrachali found himself out early in the half.

Despite a couple of successful raids from Pawar and Neeraj, Dabang Delhi couldn’t build rhythm, conceding an ALL OUT midway through the half that widened the gap. By the 10-minute mark, the Paltan had established a commanding 14-7 lead.

In the second quarter, Ajinkya pulled his team back into the game. First, he got Gaurav Khatri and Gurdeep, and then got Aslam as the Paltan were reduced to two players. This started an impressive comeback for the season 8 PKL champions, who began to reduce the deficit on their opponents.

Ajinkya continued to rule the roost; his raids got Rakesh and Aslam, before Sandeep’s tackle on Mohit Goyat completed the All Out, reducing the lead to two points. Ajinkya then got a Super Raid that eliminated Gurdeep, Pankaj, and Vishal Bhardwaj. At the end of the first half, Saurabh Nandal’s tackle on Aditya Shinde ensured that Dabang Delhi took a 21-20 lead at the end of the first half.

Ajinkya completed a well-earned Super 10 in a Do-Or-Die raid at the start of the second half, as the table-toppers kept the pressure on the season 10 champions. With both sides exchanging blows equally, it was another moment of brilliance that gave Dabang Delhi the lead.

Sandeep tackled Aslam, and following a successful raid by Ajinkya, Saurabh got Abinesh Nadarajan as the All Out was inflicted for a second time on the Paltan. Saurabh also completed his High Five, as Dabang Delhi maintained their lead in the third quarter, with the score reading 32-27.

For every move made by Puneri Paltan, Dabang Delhi had an answer. Aslam got Fazel Atrachali, and then Surjeet Singh, while Gurdeep tackled Neeraj Narwal. This gave the Paltan a lifeline in the match, as the Dabang Delhi were reduced to just three players.

In this moment, super-sub Naveen pulled off a Super Tackle as the lead of Dabang Delhi extended to four points. Mohit Goyat then got a touch on Fazel Atrachali and then Saurabh Nandal, reducing the table toppers to one player – Naveen – who was caught by Mohit Goyat, inflicting the All Out on Dabang Delhi and taking the match to the first tie-breaker of the Delhi leg with the score at 38-38.

Aditya Shinde got Surjeet in the first raid, before Neeraj Narwal equalised with a Bonus Point, making it 1-1. Ajinkya was then tackled to give Puneri the lead, after which Abinesh got Surjeet. Fazel then earned a raid point, but Mohit Goyat got a bonus point, as Puneri held on to their lead. Aslam was then tackled by Dabang Delhi, but he also got a bonus point, which effectively sealed the win for Puneri Paltan.

–IANS

bsk/