Five dazzling moments from the Delhi leg

The capital of the nation witnessed some thrilling VIVO Pro Kabaddi action and the leg was particularly sweet for the home fans owing to Dabang Delhi K.C.’s outstanding form throughout the week. Here we list down the five best moments from the Delhi leg.

1. Dabang Delhi K.C. dominate at home

Coming into their home leg, Dabang Delhi K.C. trailed third-placed Puneri Paltan by 13 points with five games in hand and needed a big week to overtake the team from Maharashtra and solidify their place in the top three of Zone A. And they did not disappoint in front of their home fans as the team won five of their six home fixtures, including a win over Puneri Paltan, to take 26 points out of a possible 30 and move into the third place in Zone A. Their tally was the most by a team in their home leg, surpassing Gujarat Fortunegiants’ mark of 24.

2. Siddharth Desai’s sensational second half against Dabang Delhi K.C. 

With the team trailing by nine points at the end of the first half against Dabang Delhi K.C., U Mumba needed a hero to step up and turn the tide in their favour. And yet again, it was their rookie sensation Siddharth Desai, who scored 16 points in the second half to propel his side to a 41-34 victory. Desai was so diligent in his efforts, that he managed to score at least a point in seven of his last eight raid attempts in the match, including a run of six straight successful raids, without giving up a single tackle point to Dabang Delhi K.C.'s defence.

3. Vishal Mane becomes first player to play 100 matches

In their match against Telugu Titans, Dabang Delhi K.C.’s Right Cover Vishal Mane created history as he became the first man in VIVO Pro Kabaddi to play 100 matches. A former winner of the VIVO Pro Kabaddi title with U Mumba and Patna Pirates, Mane has been an ever-present part of the league and, on this historic night, he delivered a career-best performance. Mane scored six tackle points in six attempts, giving him a strike rate of 100, as he helped his team overcome Telugu Titans.

4. U Mumba break their duck against Gujarat Fortunegiants 

After losing their first five encounters, U Mumba finally managed to curtail their losing streak against Gujarat Fortunegiants with a 36-26 victory in Delhi. On a day where U Mumba had to win against their Zone A rivals to maintain the top spot, the entire team stepped up to the occasion with as many as four U Mumba players scoring six points, giving their team an important victory. With this win, U Mumba, having played two more games, opened a nine-point gap at the top of Zone A.

5. Parvesh Bhainswal’s perfect performance against Patna Pirates

A rematch of the Season 5 finale saw Gujarat Fortunegiants battle reigning champions and in-form Patna Pirates just a couple of days after losing to U Mumba. Gujarat Fortunegiants had to win in order to keep the top spot within their grasp and needed a big performance from their defence to keep a potent Patna Pirates offence in check. Up stepped Left Cover Parvesh Bhainswal and delivered one of the performances of the season, scoring eight tackle points to help his side triumph by a scoreline of 45-27. The staggering part about Bhainswal’s performance was the fact that his eight tackle points came in eight attempts without a single unsuccessful tackle against an offence that boasts of the league’s second-highest average scoring rate.