Gujarat defeat Delhi in PKL contest

City team Gujarat Fortunegiants carried on their win streak to defeat Delhi Dabang K.C 29-25 at Transstadia Arena on Saturday to stay on top of the table in Zone A of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL).

Gujarat team raider Sachin (8 points) carried his fine form in the tournament along with Sunil Kumar (3 points) who was the top defender for his side earning all his points through tackles.

On the other side, a valiant effort from Iran's Meraj Sheykh (7 points) who accumulated all his points through successful raids went in vain.

Sheykh accumulated initial points for Delhi Dabangs K.C from his successful raids helping his side take an early 2-0 lead. He looked to be the go to man for the debut side, helping them keep the scoreboard ticking though his incredible pace and leg movement inside the opposition mat, earning successful points from his raids.

After lagging in the start, the city outfit returned on level terms courtesy of their star raider Sachin and captain Sukesh Hedge who combined to earn crucial points. With seven minutes on the clock, the home side took the initial 9-6 advantage.

At half-time, both the sides shared the honours, scoring 10 points each. Gujarat (seven points) earned most of their score through raids while Delhi (five points) earned the most of their score from tackles.

For Gujarat, youngsters Sachin and Rohit Gulia along with Hedge, Fazel Atrachali and Abozar Mighani combined to help their side within the reach of the opponents score in the second half.

Later both the youngsters for Gujarat pulled out some incredible show on the opponents half to all-out them taking a slender 28-25 lead with less than three minutes to play.

For Delhi, Sheykh opened the scoring in the second half clinching four points of his successful raid to give his side a 18-13 advantage also resulting into all-out of the opposition for the first time in the match.

The Iranian, who returned from the bench after several minutes, helped his side stay level with the opposition with 24 points each in less than five minutes but failed to ensure they register a win.

--IANS

sam/vd