Punjab Thunder appeal upheld, get final point in WKL tie

Punjab Thunder's appeal Saturday night against the last point being awarded to Khalsa Warriors was Sunday upheld by the Technical Committee of the Wave World Kabaddi League, resulting in the first tie of the tournament.

The Wave WKL made its long-awaited stop in Punjab, widely considered as the home of kabaddi.

The reversal of the last point led to the final result being revised to a tie at 58-58, making it the first tied game.

Khalsa Warriors' Jasmanpreet Singh 'Raju' set off for the last raid with barely 15 seconds and his team holding a one-point lead at 58-57 Saturday evening.

The powerful Jasmanpreet, one of the key raiders of Khalsa Warriors, was challenged and then locked into a hold by Yadwinder Singh, a three-time best stopper this season.

In the initial decision, Jasmanpreet's raid was adjudged successful as the umpire on the court felt the defending team, Punjab Thunder had 'double-touched' meaning two stoppers had touched the raider in an effort to stop him.

Multiple replays in the presence of the managers and coaches of both teams and the Technical Committee of the Wave WKL, finally resulted in a decision that upheld Punjab Thunder's stopper Yadwinder was indeed successful in stopping Jasmanpreet and that there was no 'double-touch'.

This resulted in the point being reversed.

Pargat Singh, Commissioner of the Wave WKL, said, "We heard out both the teams and then the Technical Committee saw the replays a number of times before arriving at the final decision. Both teams are satisfied and it is great to see how closely fought the matches are and how intense the competition has become."

The tie also ended Khalsa Warrior's winning streak. They now have four wins and one tie for nine points from five games, while Punjab Thunder with two wins, one tie and two losses have five points from the same number of games.