Pankaj Rana came back from a 0-6 deficit to not just make it 8-8 against youngster Pritam, but also win the bout and, with it, the match to help Punjab Royal s advance to the final of the Pro Wrestling League at the KD Jadhav Stadium here on Wednesday, knocking out defending champion Mumbai Maharathi with a 5-4 scoreline.
With this victory, Punjab also avenged its narrow loss in the league stage.
With the semifinals featuring all nine weight categories as against seven in the league, the side proved its superiority.
Punjab will take on last season’s runner-up Haryana Hammers in the title clash on Thursday.
Mumbai captain Erica Wiebe struggled against Vasilisa Marzaliuk in a completely defensive contest, managing to win only by virtue of earning two penalty points against one conceded.
She kept her unbeaten record intact.
Her Punjab counterpart, Vladimir Khinchegashvili, however, was more dominant, effecting not just a series of take-downs but also an overhead throw of Rahul Aware to win 12-5 in the 57kg category.
The first two bouts on the day featured the sections blocked in the earlier face-off, with Jabrayil Hasanov and Odunayo Adekuoroye giving the teams a victory each.
Both won on technical superiority against their respective opponents.
While Hasanov recorded an 18-2 win against Jitendra with 10 seconds left in their 74kg bout, Odunayo remained unbeaten in the competition with a 16-0 win against Lalita Sehrawat in four and half minutes in the 53kg division.
For Punjab, Ilias Bekbutalov, who replaced Toghrul Asgarov in the 65kg match, proved he was not inferior to the Olympic medallist.
He was in a hurry to end the bout, eventually wrapping it up in just one minute 10 seconds by a 15-0 margin. The referee, however, continued the contest for a few more seconds, allowing the Russian to garner two more points and stamp his authority.
Pavlo Oliynik led 4-0 at the end of the first round before taking down Krishan Kumar and rolling him over repeatedly to win 12-0 in the 97kg while Sarita bettered her own victory margin against Manju Kumari with a 9-0 verdict in 58kg.
Punjab’s Nirmala Devi tied on points with Carolina Castillo in 48kg, but won after managing a take-down.
The results:
Punjab Royals bt Mumbai Maharathi 5-4 [ Women: 48kg: Nirmala Devi bt Carolina Castillo; 53kg: Odunayo Adekuoroye bt Lalita Sehrawat 16-0; 58kg: Manju lost to Sarita 9-0; 75kg: Vasilisa Marzaliuk lost to Erica Wiebe 2-1; Men: 57kg: Vladimir Khinchegashvili bt Rahul Aware 12-5; 65kg: Ilias Bekbulatov bt Vikas Kumar 17-0; 70kg: Pankaj Rana bt Pritam 8-8; 74kg: Jitendra lost to Jabrayil Hasanov 18-2; 97kg: Krishan Kumar lost to Pavlo Oliynik 12-0].
