New Delhi, Oct 27 In a nail-biting Qualifier 1, Dabang Delhi K.C. clinched a riveting 6-4 win in the tiebreaker against Puneri Paltan at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium on Monday night.
The two teams were tied at 34-34 after regulation time, forcing a third tiebreaker between the two sides this season, which witnessed the Season 8 champions eventually prevail and confirm their spot in the final.
Saurabh Nandal and Abinesh Nadarajan opened the scoring for their respective sides with imposing tackles to set the tone in this qualifier 1. Dabang Delhi raced into an early four-point lead soon after, with tackles from Sandeep and Surjeet Singh. Ashu Malik’s do-or-die raid helped them keep that advantage, but not for too long, as a super tackle from Gurdeep narrowed the gap to one point with the score at 7-6 after the opening ten minutes.
Dabang Delhi K.C. delivered the first real blow of the game with Ashu Malik’s do-or-die raid. The raider followed that up with a multi-point raid, inflicting the first all out on the Puneri Paltan to give his side a five-point lead. Surjeet Singh’s tackle extended that lead to seven points, seemingly putting the Season 8 champions in the driver’s seat.
However, Puneri Paltan responded strongly with Aditya Shinde and Pankaj Mohite’s raids. Their defenders set the tone for a fightback with Abinesh Nadarajan and Gurdeep, and Vishal Bhardwaj eventually helped them get their revenge with an all out of their own, tying the game at 16-16.
In a game that was dominated by defenders, fans witnessed sixteen tackle points in the first half, compared to only eleven raid points. That trend carried on to close the second half, with Fazel Atrachali and Saurabh Nandal tackle ensuring that Dabang Delhi held a one-point lead with the score at 18-17 at half-time.
It was a sluggish start to the second half with the intensity of the battle telling on both sides. The two teams resorted to the do-or-fie strategy in the initial exchanges, before Aslam Inamdar got his side back on level terms before Puneri Paltan began their comeback trail.
A Super Raid from Aditya Shinde gave them a two-point lead, while a couple of tackles from Gaurav Khatri helped the Paltan execute their second all out of the game, giving them a five-point advantage with ten minutes to go. Aditya Shinde bagged another two-point raid, enabling his side to take control of the game.
Dabang Delhi weren’t ready to throw in the towel just yet though. Neeraj Narwal’s Super Raid on a do-or-die raid kept them in the game with Ashu Malik also helping them cut the deficit to three points. Puneri Paltan did their best to keep them at arm’s length, with Aditya Shinde completing his Super 10 and Aslam Inamdar also contributing.
Meanwhile, Neeraj Narwal was on a roll on the raiding end, inflicting a crucial all out on the Paltan to make it a one-point game heading into the last two minutes. A tackle from Sandeep helped Dabang Delhi level the scores at 34-34 with under a minute to play, setting up a nail-biting finish to the game.
With neither team ready to give away an inch, the top two sides in the league stayed level at 34-34, as they prepared to battle it out in their third tie-breaker of the season. Saurabh Nandal’s tackle gave Dabang Delhi the crucial opening in the second raid, and they never looked back from there.
Akshit Dhull and Ashu Malik added the finishing touches to secure a 6-4 win in the tiebreaker, becoming the first side to book their place in the final of PKL 12. Meanwhile, the Puneri Paltan will get another chance to make it to the finals when they play qualifier 2 on Wednesday.
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