PKL 9: Dabang Delhi thrash Telugu Titans in Match 20

Naveen Kumar and Manjeet helped the reigning champions dominate.

Dabang Delhi put together a five-star performance to beat Telugu Titans 46-26 in the second game of the day at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium on Saturday in PKL 9. Dabang Delhi rode on the raiding of Naveen Kumar (12 points), Manjeet (9 points) and a superb defensive performance by Ravi Kumar and Ashu Malik to inflict a crushing defeat on the Titans and stay unbeaten this season. 

The pre-match build-up had built the match up as a clash between the Titans defence and the Delhi offence, but within minutes it was clear that Dabang Delhi were not taking their defensive duties lightly. They raced into a 7-point lead before the Titans could even open their account. With barely six minutes gone, Delhi had already inflicted the first ALL OUT of the match, taking a 11-2 lead.

The Titans regrouped, but Delhi, and in particular Naveen's ability to keep collecting bonus points and Manjeet's razor-sharp raid, meant their lead was never truly challenged. It wasn't just the Dabang raiders though, and the statistics laid bare the brilliance of their all-round performance. Dabang had eight tackle points in the first half, compared to the Titans' one. And they went into the break holding a deserved lead at 24-10. 

Telugu Titans' substitute Mohsen Maghsoudlou offered them a ray of hope as the second half began. On a DO OR DIE raid, the Iranian managed to get the Titans a crucial point to chip away at the lead. 

Immediately though, Delhi snatched back the initiative. Manjeet, on his very next foray initiated a SUPER RAID, touching out Nitin, Mohit and Mohsen. The lone man standing, Vinay, was caught out as the team from the capital city inflicted their second ALL OUT to take a massive lead at 30-12.

Despite the huge lead, Delhi did not slow down, and at the other end the Titans' errors kept coming. By the end, it was just a matter of not how or when but by how much Delhi would win. The answer was 20 points, the second time they inflicted this margin on an opponent this season. 

Tune In details (16/10/2022) - PKL 9

7:30 PM: Puneri Paltan vs U Mumba

8:30 PM: UP Yoddhas vs Bengaluru Bulls

Venue: Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Bengaluru