Dabang Delhi K.C. return to top of the table after win over Patna Pirates

Dabang Delhi K.C. returned to the summit of the vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 7 standings after a 43-39 win over Patna Pirates at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Thursday. Naveen Kumar picked up his 16th consecutive Super 10 for Dabang Delhi K.C., while ‘Record-Breaker’ Pardeep Narwal’s 19 raid points went in vain.  

Nothing much separated the two teams early on despite Dabang Delhi K.C. having a 5-4 lead after the opening seven minutes. Patna Pirates went on to tie the contest subsequently and even took the lead for a brief period. However, neither side managed to take control of the game with both teams opting to approach the match in a conservative manner for most of the remainder of the half.

The closing stages of the first period saw the teams get majority of their points from do-or-die situations. A two-point Pardeep raid in the penultimate raid of the half looked like it would give Patna Pirates a slight edge at the break but Vijay’s two-point raid in the final piece of action of the first half ensured it was 13-13 at halftime.

Dabang Delhi K.C. began the second period with a Super Tackle on Pardeep, while Patna Pirates responded with a two-point raid by Jang Kun Lee. The three-time champions then made the most of their numerical advantage on the mat by enforcing an All-Out in the 24th minute to take a 19-17 lead.

Both sets of raiders started to find success more frequently after the All-Out as the scoreboard kept ticking over. Pardeep though was looking the most threatening and he made a telling contribution just before the half-hour mark by executing a Super Raid. The ‘Record-Breaker’ grew in the confidence after his Super Raid and proceeded to run through the opposition with clinical raids as Patna Pirates enforced another All-Out to extend their lead to 33-27.

With a six-point lead to protect in the last six minutes, Patna Pirates looked like they had done enough to win the contest. A five-point Super Raid by Vijay changed all that as Dabang Delhi K.C. reduced Patna Pirates’ lead to 36-35 with a little more than three minutes left to play. Dabang Delhi K.C. then tied the game before going on to inflict an All-Out to move into a 40-37 lead. With now momentum on their side, Dabang Delhi K.C. played the remaining minutes intelligently and went on to register a four-point win.    

Top Performers:

Patna Pirates –

Best Raider – Pardeep Narwal (19 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Vikas Jaglan (2 Tackle Points)

Dabang Delhi K.C. –

Best Raider – Vijay (12 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Anil Kumar (4 Tackle Points)