Dabang Delhi managed a spectacular recovery on Wednesday at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, overcoming a 13-point deficit to beat the Tamil Thalaivas 45-43 in their Pro Kabaddi League Season 10 encounter. Ashu Malik led the charge for Delhi with a stellar 18 raid points, while Narender Hoshiyar was the standout performer for the Thalaivas, also racking up 18 points.
Dabang Delhi staged a stunning comeback, erasing a 13-point deficit to clinch a hard-fought 45-43 win over the Tamil Thalaivas 45-43 in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10 match at Kolkata’s Netaji Indoor Stadium on Wednesday. Dabang Delhi’s Ashu Malik was the hero of the night as the star raider finished with 18 raid points. Narender Hoshiyar starred with 18 raid points for Tamil Thalaivas.
The Tamil Thalaivas dominated the opening phase, wiping out the Dabang Delhi squad with an All-out in just five minutes. Narender's relentless raiding tore through the defense, giving the Thalaivas an early 9-2 cushion. Under Ashan Kumar's leadership, the team looked unstoppable, extending their lead to 22-9 after a second All-out in the 15th minute. Dabang Delhi struggled to find their rhythm, with captain Ashu being the sole bright spot in an otherwise lackluster performance. A shaky defense allowed the Thalaivas to enter halftime with a comfortable 25-14 lead.
Delhi started the second half with renewed energy, triggering an All-out in the 24th minute to bring the score to 25-20. However, Narender threatened to shut down the comeback with a brilliant display of raiding, including a Super 10 and an All-out that pushed the Thalaivas' lead back up to 34-22. Just when victory seemed certain for Tamil Nadu, Dabang Delhi fought back. A powerful raid by Meetu Sharma combined with a surge from Ashu helped them secure an All-out, bringing the score to 33-38 with only six minutes left on the clock.
The final minutes saw a masterclass in raiding from Ashu, who systematically dismantled the Tamil Thalaivas' defense to level the score at 38-38. The turning point came in the 39th minute when Manu executed a perfect tackle on Narender, resulting in an All-out and giving Delhi a 43-42 edge. Ashu capped off the night with his 18th point in the final raid, not only securing the win but also climbing to the top of the season's raiding leaderboard.
Meanwhile, Puneri Paltan maintained their position at the top of the standings after a close 29-26 win against the Bengal Warriors. Akash Shinde was the key player for the Paltans, earning a Super 10, with Pankaj Mohite contributing 6 points. Although Nithin Kumar and Maninder Singh put up a fight for Bengal with 5 and 4 points respectively, it wasn't enough to secure a win in front of their home crowd.