Bengal Warriorz managed to get back to winning ways in thrilling fashion, clinching a 37-36 victory against Dabang Delhi K.C. in a Season 12 match of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the SDAT Multi Purpose Indoor Stadium on Thursday.
Led by Devank Dalal’s Super 10 and Ashish Malik’s High Five, the Season 7 champions moved to ninth place on the points table with this win. Bengal Warriorz got their noses in front early in the game courtesy of a tackle by Ankit, followed by a raid from their captain, taking a two-point lead.
In the absence of Ashu Malik, Naveen Rawal responded with a two-point raid for the table-toppers, bringing them back on level terms. The tackles were flying in during the opening exchanges, with Saurabh Nandal and Ankit contributing for their respective sides.
In a topsy-turvy start, Bengal Warriorz regained their lead with Devank Dalal and Himanshu Narwal showing their attacking prowess, before Ajinkya Pawar and Neeraj Narwal levelled the score again.
Dabang Delhi K.C. got their first lead of the night with a tackle by Saurabh Nandal, but that lead didn’t last for long as Himanshu Narwal executed a Super Raid, keeping the Season 7 champions in a two-point lead after the opening ten minutes.
The two teams continued to go toe-to-toe in this high-octane clash with nothing separating the two sides. A Super Tackle from Anurag Kumar and a tackle from Parteek then helped Bengal Warriorz inflict the first All Out of the game as they looked to assert their dominance.
Despite that, there was only one point separating the two sides at halftime, as Ajinkya Pawar and Akshit Dhull kept Dabang Delhi in the game with the score at 19-18. Bengal Warriorz continued to stay ahead with a narrow advantage, with their captain keeping their scoreboard ticking, along with contributions from his defence.
However, they could never really break away with a significant advantage, with Fazel Atrachali and his side ensuring they keep Dabang Delhi within striking distance. With five minutes to go, a couple of Super Tackles by Manjeet and Ashish Malik helped Bengal Warriorz open up a five-point gap.
However, Neeraj Narwal then executed an All Out to bring it back down to a one-point game for the table-toppers with the score at 33-32. Devank Dalal completed his Super 10, and Ashish Malik also completed his High Five, helping Bengal Warriorz establish a four-point lead once more.
There was another potential twist in the tale as Fazel Atrachali kept in the game a crucial tackle, with a couple of quick raids from Mohit Deswal. However, the drama persisted until the final whistle. With two points separating the two sides, Himanshu Narwal’s unsuccessful raid proved to be the final act of the game as Bengal Warriorz clinched a nail-biter with the score at 37-36.