PKL 12: Ajay Thakur reveals why he appeal during Ashu Malik's raid in Qualifier 1

Dabang Delhi will now face the winner of Qualifier 2 in the PKL 12 final.

Dabang Delhi defeated Puneri Paltan in Qualifier 1 of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 (PKL 12) to secure their place in the Final. The match was a complete rollercoaster, with one team dominating for a while before the other made a comeback just moments later.

There was no difference between the two teams after 40 minutes of play, forcing the match into a tiebreaker to decide who would advance to the final. In the tiebreaker, Saurabh Nandal made a crucial tackle on Aslam Inamdar with a strong ankle hold, after which Delhi played smartly to seal the victory.

However, Puneri Paltan will get another chance to reach the final as they will face the winner of Eliminator 3 in Qualifier 2. After the game, representatives from both teams addressed the media.

Puneri Paltan

On the mistakes of the team

Puneri Paltan head coach Ajay Thakur explained where the team lost control of the match.

He said, “Every match should be like this, win or loss is a part of the game, but the match was very thrilling. We almost won, but that one super raid at the end, where we gave away 3 points, is where we lost control. Gurdeep went for the tackle, and Abinesh and Pankaj also got touched, so our defensive backbone was gone.

In the tie-breaker, our captain, Aslam, was also caught; those two moments are where we lost the match. Especially in the last 3–4 minutes, we conceded crucial points, and that’s where we lost confidence.”

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On appeal against Ashu Malik

Puneri Paltan head coach Ajay Thakur was asked about the green card he received after appealing against Ashu Malik.

He explained, “Referees are giving too many green cards these days. Actually, what happened was that Ashu was raiding, and in Kabaddi, the chant of ‘Kabaddi’ is the most important part of a raid. Ashu had pain in his ankle, and when he got a sudden jerk, he felt pain and stopped chanting. So, I appealed that he should be declared out because he was not chanting.”

“At that point, we had no reviews left, and I was not sure whether he could be given out in that situation or not. It was a misunderstanding on my part, but I’ll definitely ask for clarification. If a raider suddenly goes silent during a raid and stops chanting ‘kabaddi,’ should he be considered out or not?” he added.

Dabang Delhi

On the clock running out

Dabang Delhi head coach Joginder Narwal was asked about the clock running out without any action during the match and his appeal to stop it.

He said, “Look, I’m the coach of this team, so I focus a lot on that clock. If you were sitting in my place, you would have realized it too. We get very emotional during the match, so we appeal, but it works according to its own rules. It’s not just me; every coach feels the same way during a match, but the clock will always run according to the rules.”

On strategy for the Final

Dabang Delhi captain Ashu Malik shared his thoughts on the team’s mindset going into the final.

He said, “We will play the final like a final. It’s the last match of the season, and we’ll play with the mindset of getting as close to the trophy as possible. We’ll give our best for it.”

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