Jaipur Pink Panthers cruise past Dabang Delhi to register their seventh win of the season
The Jaipur Pink Panthers were in action against the Dabang Delhi in the 90th fixture of the Pro Kabaddi League as the two sides tussled to consolidate a spot in the top four here at Sheraton Grand, Bengaluru on Thursday.
Both sides displayed some great raiding firepower in the game, but it was the inaugural champions that edged past their opponents in a 36-30 win to propel them to the fourth spot on the points table.
The Jaipur-based franchise will be very happy with their performance tonight as the team managed to secure their consecutive against the teams at the top of the table. Deepak Niwas Hooda was excellent for the Panthers as the veteran all-rounder picked up twelve points in the game racking up another ‘Super 10’ leading his side past the finish line.
The raider received well-synchronized support from Arjun Deshwal as the young raider picked up six points to his name functioning as an ideal support raider for his senior. The Pink Panthers’ defense was rock solid tonight as they picked up a total of twelve tackle points in the entire game with Shaul Kumar and Sandeep Dhull both picking up three points to their tally.
On the other hand, The Dabang Delhi side was brilliant on offense as Vijay picked up a staggering sixteen points to his name in the absence of star raider Naveen Kumar who was subbed out of the game due to concurring injury issues. The defense though failed to leave an imprint on the game as the side only managed a total of seven tackle points throughout the game.
Other than Vijay, only Ashu Malik was able to reach the five-point mark for his side as none of the big names in the Delhi camp were able to impress tonight. Delhi will definitely look to turn things around if they wish to finish amongst the top teams on the points table.
Arjun Deshwal in full stretch as he escapes Jeeva Kumar to touch the mid-line
The game started off slow with both sides testing out their opponents before digging into deep waters. The Pink Panthers started off the party as Deepak picked up a touchpoint to start the proceedings, the Jaipur-based side then managed to Naveen under check as the raider was tackled twice in the first half before he was subbed out of the game. Vijay tried to keep his side in the game, not allowing their opponents to establish a bulky lead on his side.
The Pink Panthers had multiple opportunities to inflict an all-out upon their opponents but were thwarted thrice as Delhi fired back with back-to-back super tackles on Arjun and Deepak, followed by Vijay scoring a touchpoint on Shaul to hold off their opponents. However, with the absence of any strike raider and senior defender on the mat, Delhi could not hold off the Pink Panthers, as Deepak scored a two-point raid in the 15th minute to give his side a six-point advantage leading into the second half.
Delhi tried their best to fire back in the second half, but the defense looked helpless against Deepak and Arjun who continued to single out the defenders one after another, maintaining their six-point advantage over their opponents until the final whistle.
The Pink Panthers will be very happy with the consecutive win as they have established a solid momentum heading into the final stages of the tournament. The players have been in great form in the past few matches, and the team will hope to keep the winning streak up and running as they face Puneri Paltan this Saturday in their upcoming fixture.
On the other hand, Delhi will not face any major consequences for their defeat as they side retained their spot on the top of the table with 54 points to their name in sixteen games, However, the side will look to finish strong in their last six games to secure a top-two spot on the points table.