Pune, Dec 5 The UP Yoddhas and Dabang Delhi KC were both on song in their opening game of the Pune leg in the Badminton Hall, at the Balewadi Sports Complex during PKL Season 11, on Thursday evening. The two sides traded blows throughout the contest and finished with the scores tied at 32-32.
For the UP Yoddhas, Gagan Gowda scored 13 points and Bhavani Rajput bagged 10 points, while Ashu Malik picked up yet another Super 10 for the Dabang Delhi KC.
Ashu Malik and Gagan Gowda started off brilliantly for the Dabang Delhi KC and the UP Yoddhas. It was neck and neck in the early exchanges, with both sides keeping up with each other, and neither able to take the lead. The first ten points of the game were shared equally between the two sides before the UP Yoddhas picked up a slender lead courtesy Gagan Gowda.
While Gagan Gowda and Bhavani Rajput were sharing the scoring responsibilities for the UP Yoddhas, it was Naveen Kumar and Ashu Malik, who were leading the charge for the Dabang Delhi KC. As the half wore on, the UP Yoddhas built on their lead, but their opponents made sure they didn’t run away with the contest with some solid defending. Rahul’s Super Tackle and Himanshu’s two-point raid then brought the deficit down to one point, after which the Dabang Delhi KC got their noses out in front, just before the break. At half-time, the score read 13-12 to Dabang Delhi KC.
Early in the second half, the Naveen Express landed an All Out on the UP Yoddhas, to give his side the advantage. The Dabang Delhi KC defence were doing well to foil the opposition attacks in the first phase of the half, while Naveen continued to pick up crucial points at the other end. The contest ebbed and flowed, with both sets of raiders giving the defenders a fair bit to think about.
At the half-hour mark, the Dabang Delhi KC held the lead and were looking solid. But after a few minutes, Gagan Gowda stepped up and inflicted an All Out on the Dabang Delhi KC and that not only saw him register his third Super 10 of the season but also gave the UP Yoddhas the advantage.
Heading into the final five minutes, the Dabang Delhi KC had a 3-point lead to overcome, along with the duo of Gagan Gowda and Bhavani Rajput. With less than two minutes in the game, Ashu Malik landed a telling blow, a 2-point raid, that not only tied the scores but also gave him his 13th Super 10 of the season.
In the final minutes, Bhavani Rajput also got his Super 10, however, both sides, who gave it their all, walked off the mat with a tie to their name.
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