PKL 8: Delhi wins against Patna, Gujarat holds Mumbai to a thrilling tie

Sandeep Narwal and Manjeet Chhillar shine in the match.

Dabang Delhi K.C.’s seasoned stars had a night to remember as they helped their team beat Patna Pirates 32-29 in Match 62 of Pro Kabaddi League Season 8. Manjeet Chhillar, the defender with the most tackle points in PKL history, produced a last-raid tackle to clinch the thriller for Delhi, who were once again without the services of their star raider Naveen Kumar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiSSodXVyVI

Vijay aided with 9 points while Sandeep Narwal, playing the role of an all-rounder, clinched 8 points in a win that helped Delhi move to the top of the points table. Patna lacked the usual sharpness in their defence which ultimately cost them the match. 

Patna dominated the early minutes of the PKL match, but Dabang made a comeback through their raider Vijay. He got valuable points off a surprisingly unstable Patna defence to give Delhi the momentum to clinch an ALL OUT in the 10th minute to open a 4-point lead. Sandeep Narwal and Manjeet Chhillar used all their experience to good effect on the mat as Delhi’s defence thwarted the Pirates. 

Patna’s cover defender Sajin C suffered a knee injury and had to be replaced which clearly affected their team’s chemistry. Sandeep Narwal donned the role of a perfect all-rounder in the first half by also fetching raids points for Delhi. At the interval, Delhi had a 9-point lead with scores of 19-10. 

Sandeep Narwal’s 2-point raid opened the lead to 3 points as both teams traded blows. Mohammad Reza Shadloui then clawed one back for Patna with a stunning ankle hold on Ashu Malik. Vijay then produced a 3-point Super Raid with 3 minutes remaining to give Delhi a 4-point lead. Patna needed 2 points in their last raid, but Manjeet Chhillar brought out a brilliant diving tackle to help Delhi win the match. 

U Mumba and Gujarat Giants shared the spoils in an entertaining 24-24 tie.

U Mumba and Gujarat Giants shared the spoils in an entertaining 24-24 tie in Match 63 of PKL Season 8. Ajay Kumar, Gujarat’s star of the night with 7 points, clinched an important point in the last minute to earn his team a tie. Both teams will look back at the match and think they could have won it had they been a little more proactive. Ajith Kumar was the best raider for Mumbai in the low-scoring game that also their right corner Rinku pick up a High 5. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldSIcoogUss

Gujarat started the match strongly with Rakesh S and Ajay Kumar handling the bulk of the raiding duties. They made most out of a hesitant U Mumba defence in the initial minutes. At the other end, Abhishek Singh and Ajith Kumar took turns to raid for the Mumbai team.

Ajith looked like he had recovered from the back injury he suffered earlier in the season and moved effortlessly around the mat. But it was the Gujarat defence who dominated the first half with three tackle points more than U Mumba. At the break, the scores were 13-10 with no ALL OUTs inflicted. 

Right when Gujarat sensed an ALL OUT Rinku produced a stunning Super Tackle to give Mumbai the momentum. Ajith Kumar then brought out a series of successful raids to level the points for Mumbai.  

Rinku got his High 5 and Abhishek Singh clinched a point in a Do-or-Die raid to give Mumbai the lead with under 2 minutes to go. But Ajay Kumar secured a point in the penultimate raid of the PKL match for Gujarat to earn his team a tie. 

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