Telugu Titans’s Rahul Chaudhuri did the star turn for his team as the visitor managed to edge past Dabang Delhi 39-35 for its first win of the inaugural Pro Kabaddi League at the Thyagaraj Stadium here on Sunday.
Chaudhuri was Titans’s top scorer for the fourth match in-a-row with 15 points but on the day he had support from fellow-raider Deepak Nivas Hooda (10), who also walked away with the Man-of-the-Match award.
In the day’s other match, Puneri Paltan broke its losing streak to upset strong favourite Bengaluru Bulls 33-31, coming back from a deficit in the dying minutes of the game for its first win of the competition while handing Bengaluru its first defeat.
All-round effortIt was an all-round effort from the Pune side with every one of its seven players getting on the scoreboard. Captain Wazir Singh led from the front, scoring 11 points including the crucial points in the final stages that made the difference.
From the start till the 35th minute, Bengaluru led with equal contributions from captain Manjit Chillar (12) and star raider Ajay Thakur (8). But a Bengaluru all-out by Kalimuthu Balamahendran gave Pune the much-needed push. It almost lost the plot again before Wazir pulled his team back from the brink, scoring a point on the team’s final raid and tackling the opposition raider in the last minute to ensure full five points.
In the first match, Delhi’s Surjeet Narwal played his heart out yet again, scoring 15 points. His contribution can be gauged from the fact that he saved his team from being all out at least twice, reviving three of his team mates all alone.
Delhi added urgency to its efforts with the introduction substitutes Dadaso Balaso Awad and Iranian Ehsan Zamani Fard but despite a vociferous crowd egging it on, the local outfit failed to capitalise on the support.
With five minutes remaining and Delhi trailing 23-34, Narwal was everywhere. He went around taking out opposition players in desperation and fell behind to strengthen the defence. But with his teammates playing passive spectators, the 24-year old was no match for an opposition that seemed to have finally realised it was a team game.
The results:
Telugu Titans 39 (Rahul Chaudhuri 15, Deepak Nivas Hooda 10) bt Dabang Delhi 35 (Surjeet Narwal 15).
Puneri Paltan 33 (Wazir Singh 11) bt Bengaluru Bulls 31 (Manjit Chillar 12, Ajay Thakur 8).
