Premier Handball League 2023: Telugu Talons beat Rajasthan Patriots, Maharashtra Ironmen edge Garvit Gujarat

This was the Talon's third consecutive win in PHL 2023.

Maharashtra Ironmen registered their second consecutive victory for Garvit Gujarat, while Telugu Talons won a third game on the trot after beating Rajasthan Patriots in the Premier Handball League 2023.

Telugu Talons defeat Rajasthan Patriots

The Telugu Talons secured their third straight victory in the Premier Handball League 2023 after they defeated the Rajasthan Patriots in a game ended 22-33 in their favour. Naseeb’s emblematic performance in attack for the Talons saw him jump to the number spot in the scoring charts with 55 goals. 

The home team Rajasthan Patriots took on the high-flying Telugu Talons inside a packed Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium in Jaipur in match 19 of the inaugural Premier Handball League (PHL). Both teams started the game at a blistering pace. Naseeb Singh and Anil Khudia of the Talons looked on-song as they were wreaking havoc on the Patriots defence in the opening minutes of the game. While Arjun Lakra and Mohit Ghanghas of Rajasthan were expertly helping their team keep pace with the Talons. Although the game was being played at a rapid pace both teams were evenly matched after the first 15 minutes of the game.

Halfway through the first period the scores read 4-5 in favour of the Talons, who held a slender lead over the Patriots. The Talons soon after upped the ante as they started marking the Rajasthan players very tightly. In turn the Talons were making a lot of turnovers in their favour. This resulted in the Talons extending their lead despite Dmitry Kireev and Mohit Ghanghas trying their best to make sure Rajasthan stays within touching distance of Telugu. The half came to an end as the scores read 10-14 in favour of Telugu Talons.

Fernando Nunes’ Talons came out for the second half looking to carry their momentum from the first period. Rajasthan, on the other hand, were looking to assert their presence in the match. Naseeb who joined the 50-goal club in this game and in typical fashion was scoring with devastating effect from the wing. Raghu Kumara and Davinder Singh Bhullar of the Talons were also doing their bit in the game to support Anil Khudia and Naseeb going forward.

Kailash Patel also came on in the second half and helped his team extend their lead further. Halfway through the second period the Talons had established a healthy lead as the scores read 16-26, while the Patriots’ attack lacked vigour.

Rajasthan brought on Ahmad Al-Otabi to pose a new tactical challenge for the Talons and had an instant impact but was unable to help his team take control of the game. In reply Telugu brought on their Captain Shubham Sheoran who proved to be extremely effective in exploiting the gaps in the Patriots’ defence which did not allow Rajasthan a way back into the game. Soon after the game came to an end as the scores read 22-33 in favour of the Talons who had secured a resounding victory against the Patriots.

Kailash Patel of the Telugu Talons was the top scorer for his team in the match with seven goals, while Mohit Ghanghas and Ahmad Al-Otabi were the top scorers for the Rajasthan Patriots in the game with five goals apiece. Davinder Singh Bhullar of the Talons was adjudged to be the most valuable player of the match.

Final Score- Rajasthan Patriots 22-33 Telugu Talons

Maharashtra Ironmen edge Garvit Gujarat

Maharashtra Ironmen secured a win against Garvit Gujarat in a thrilling game that went down to the wire. The final scores read 33-32 in favour of the Ironmen who had secured a victory thanks to a Chiseliov penalty in the last 10 seconds of the game.

The fiercest attacking duo in the league Maharashtra Ironmen’s Igor Chiseliov and Jalal Kiani looked on-song as they were able to score freely in the opening minutes of the game. Farhad Shafiei Alavijeh in the Gujarat goal started making astounding saves after Maharashtra’s initial on-slaught slowed down, which allowed his team to find a way back into the game.

Harender Singh Nain of Garvit Gujarat was playing out of his skin as he was shooting with devastating effect which helped Gujarat establish a slender lead. By the 15th minute mark, the scores read 7-8 in favour of Gujarat.