New Delhi: Patna Pirates ended Dabang Delhi’s unbeaten reign in their quest to chase their fourth Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) title. The terrific show from Shubham Shinde and the combination of Devank and Ayan helped the Patna Pirates to defeat the Ashu Malik-led Dabang Delhi by a margin of 32-28 in the second semifinal of the PKL season 11 played at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune on Friday.
It was the match where Patna build an grip over the higher-ranked Delhi (on table). The Patna defence powered by the presence of the vigiltant Shubham and Ankit Jagalan was watchful of the in-form and composed Ashu Malik, who could only manage to pick a couple of points from his first 10 raids.
Devank made great starts to his gameplan, getting the touch of Dabang Delhi players in his first three raids as he surpassed the 300-raid points mark in his PKL career in the early stage of the contest. Dabang Delhi K.C. soon found themselves in trouble as Shubham Shinde tackled Ashu Malik, putting the three-time PKL champions in the ascendancy.
The Delhi outfit responded strongly after a tackle from Rahul got the better of Devank. Naveen Kumar followed it up with a successful Do-or-Die Raid to close the gap to one point in this tense affair before Ayan took over for the Patna Pirates. His efforts on the raiding end helped his side extend their lead to five points with the score at 8-3 after the first ten minutes of the game.
A Super Raid from Mohit gave Dabang Delhi K.C. a lifeline as they closed the gap once more. However, they couldn’t quite find their way back into the contest as Devank returned to pile on the misery. Shubham Shinde then delivered a hammer blow, tackling Ashu Malik to inflict an ALL OUT and putting Patna Pirates in the driver’s seat as they were ahead at the completion of the first half by a margin of 17-10.
Delhi fights back but Patna has last laugh
The defenders started off well from both ends with Deepak and Shubham ensuring to put their foot on the gas for Patna and a similar approach was seen by Sandeep and Yogesh Dahiya for the Delhi franchise. The Delhi franchise managed to cut the deficit by five points.
Mohit and Ashu Malik later picked up two points each in their respective raids in tandem as Delhi trailed by 18-12 when the contest moved to the last 10 minutes. Devank was tackled three times in the final phase as Delhi managed to inflict an All-Out on their opponents for the first time in the match.
Though Ashu Malik and Naveen Kumar were caught by the Patna Pirates defenders, the bonus points plundered did ensure that the two teams were leveled on the scores 25-25. The game only went down the wire with the scores tied at 27-27 and Yogesh tackled Devank as Delhi took their first lead in the match at 27-26. Ayan and Mohit exchanged successful Die-or-Die Raids, keeping Patna Pirates’ one-point lead with under a minute to go.
Ankit Jagalan’s clutch tackle on Naveen Kumar and Ayan’s final two-point raid sealed the deal for the Patna as they will chase the dream to lift their fourth PKL title.
With this win, the Patna Pirates have set up a blockbuster final against Haryana Steelers, that will take place on Sunday, December 29 at the same venue.
(With input from agency)
The terrific show from Shubham Shinde and the combination of Devank and Ayan helped the Patna Pirates to defeat the Ashu Malik-led Dabang Delhi by a margin of 32-28 in the second semifinal of the PKL season 11 played at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune on Friday. Kabaddi Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
