The Bengal Warriorz bounced back in style with a thrilling win over the Telugu Titans in the tie-breaker in Season 12 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Devank continued his excellent form, completing his 14th Super 10 of the season in a closely fought contest that went right down to the wire, with both teams putting up a strong fight. In the end, the Warriorz held their nerve in the tie-breaker to seal an impressive and much-needed victory.
The Titans opened the scoring in the very first minute with a successful raid from Vijay Malik. However, the Warriorz quickly responded as Devank earned a raid point to make it all square. Both teams continued to exchange points in a closely contested start, showing solid defence and quick raiding skills.
The game remained evenly balanced until Devank produced a brilliant Super Raid, earning three crucial points to put the Warriorz ahead 8-10. The Warriorz kept their momentum going and maintained a narrow lead at 8-11 when the Strategic Time Out was taken in the first half.
When play resumed, the Bengal Warriorz started strong by earning the first point and quickly built on that momentum. They soon inflicted an All Out, extending their lead to six points and taking firm control of the game.The Warriorz kept dominating the first half, maintaining pressure on the Telugu Titans with sharp raids and solid defence.
Before the break, they inflicted another All Out, pushing the score to 26-15 in their favour. By the end of the first half, the Bengal Warriorz were comfortably ahead, leading 28-17 and looking in complete control of the match.The second half began with the Telugu Titans earning the first point, thanks to a brilliant tackle from Ajit Pawar.
However, the Bengal Warriorz quickly responded, led by Prateek, who impressed with his strong defensive skills to keep his team in control. Bharat Hooda then fought back for the Titans, putting in an excellent performance to complete his Super 10, helping reduce the gap. The Titans built on that momentum and soon inflicted an All Out, cutting the deficit to 32-26.
The Titans continued to push hard, and Shubham Shinde’s smart tackle on Himanshu Narwal earned them another crucial point. His effort brought the score closer to 34-31 by the time the Strategic Time Out was called in the second half.
When play resumed, the Warriorz struck early and pushed their lead to five points. Vijay Malik then produced two quick raids to pull the Titans back into the contest, and a tackle from Aman reduced the gap further. The Warriorz hit back with a Super Tackle for two points, but the Titans stayed in the fight.
With just over two minutes left, the Telugu Titans turned the game with an All Out to take the lead. Himanshu Narwal then played two big raids — a two-point raid followed by a successful single — which kept the pressure on the Warriorz.
In the final moments, strong defensive work from both sides prevented either team from taking a clear advantage. A brilliant stop in defence levelled the score at 45-45, and the match went into a Tie-Breaker.The Bengal Warriorz started the tie-breaker on a strong note, earning the first point with a sharp tackle and following it up with a successful raid to take a 2-0 lead.
The Telugu Titans responded well, with Bharat picking up crucial points through a successful raid. The scores were 3-3 when Manjeet stepped up for the Warriorz and grabbed an important point with his raid, helping his team edge ahead once again.
But the Titans refused to back down — Chetan Sahu produced a confident raid to level the scores at 5-5, keeping the contest alive till the final raid. With everything on the line, Devank went in for Bengal Warriorz. His successful raid earned the Warriorz the match-winning points, sealing a 7-5 victory in the tie-breaker and a thrilling finish to the contest.