The Dabang Delhi KC secured a dominant victory over Bengaluru Bulls in a thrilling Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 (PKL 12) match at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag on Tuesday.
The Delhi-based team posted an impressive 41-34 win over the Bulls, setting the tone of their campaign right at the beginning of the season.
PKL 12: Ashu Malik- Hero of the Match
Ashu Malik played a captain’s knock, picking up quick raid points, with the highlight being a brilliant Super Raid, dismissing Yogesh, Aashish Malik and Ankush Rathee in one go, swinging the momentum heavily in Dabang Delhi’s favour.
A late fightback from the Bulls wasn’t enough, as Malik’s 15 points, Neeraj Narwal’s 7, and strong defensive efforts from Surjeet Singh, Fazel Atrachali and Saurabh Nandal sealed the win for Delhi.
Ashu was unstoppable, constantly testing the Bulls’ defence with sharp raids. He was rewarded with a Super 10 before halftime, while Neeraj Narwal contributed with crucial raid points.
The Bulls, meanwhile, struggled to find their footing, with only Alireza Mirzaian showing some resistance. They were dealt a further blow when Surjeet Singh’s strong tackle on Mirzaian inflicted the first ALL OUT of the match. This resulted in Bulls trailing 13-5 at the 10-minute mark, as they stared at a tough climb back into the contest.
Alireza Mirzaian’s Super 10 was the only highlight for the Bulls.
Dabang Delhi carried their early momentum into the latter stages of the first half, maintaining a firm grip into the break with a 21-11 lead over Bengaluru Bulls.
For the Bulls, Alireza scored four raid points, while Aashish’s efforts gave them a brief spark. However, repeated setbacks- including two dismissals of Sanjay and unsuccessful raids by Akash- kept them on the back foot. With a 10-point cushion at the break, Dabang Delhi too the driver’s seat, leaving Bengaluru with plenty of work to do in the second half.
Substitutes Ganesha Hanamantagol and Jitender Yadav, yet the Bulls could not stop Delhi’s momentum. By the end of the third quarter, the defending champions looked firmly in control, 17 points clear, leaving Bengaluru with a lot to play for in the final stretch.
The PKL season 8 champions tightened their stranglehold on the contest in the third quarter, extending their lead to 34-17 at the 30-minute mark. Malik continued his dominant performance, piling on raid points for fun and keeping the Bulls’ defence under constant pressure.
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Naveen and Neeraj Narwal also chipped in, while Surjeet Singh and Fazel Atrachali stood tall in defence. The biggest blow for Bengaluru came midway through the half when Surjeet executed a decisive tackle on Alireza to enforce the second ALL OUT, widening Delhi’s advantage.
Bulls started with a Super Tackle by Akash Shinde on Ashu Malik, followed by a successful raid by Ganesha that got Naveen and Sandeep, the lead quickly dropped by 13 points. However, Neeraj Narwal got his team back on track with a successful raid on the Bulls that got Sanjay and Manish.
Towards the end of the match, an impressive Super Tackle by Jitender Yadav in a Do-Or-Die Raid got Ashu Malik. However, these were small respites for the Bulls, who lost the match by 7 points as the score read 41-34 at the end of the 40 minutes despite a late ALL OUT for Bengaluru Bulls.
