Naveen and Rajnish’s duel for the ages ends with Dabang Delhi narrowly beating Telugu Titans

Naveen Kumar’s 25-point performance helped Dabang Delhi K.C. beat Telugu Titans 35-34 in a thriller. The victory saw Delhi climb to the top of the vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 8 standings. Rajnish scored a career-high 20 raid points for the Telugu Titans, who slipped their fourth defeat in six games this season.

The Naveen Express was off to a stellar start, picking up five points in the first six minutes to help Dabang Delhi take a 7-4 lead. But Rajnish and Ankit combined to help the Titans level the score with three unanswered points. Naveen and Rajnish scored the game’s next seven points, with the Delhi star scoring four and the Telugu raider adding three to his team’s total as they remained separated on the scoreboard by a solitary point.

Naveen completed his Super 10 with a touch point on Surinder to extend his team’s lead to two, but Rajnish responded with a Super Raid that helped the Titans inflict an All Out and take a three-point lead. Naveen replied to the setback by scoring five points in just three minutes, helping Delhi outscore the Titans by four to help them take the lead.

Delhi’s fourth tackle point of the night pushed their lead to two, but Surinder Singh’s Super Tackle on Naveen brought parity to the scoreline as the two teams went into the halftime break level at 18-18.

 Delhi started the second half with two unanswered points that left the Titans with only a solitary man on the mat. Delhi’s defence allowed the raider to pick up the bonus point before pinning him down to inflict the All Out and take a four-point lead.

Delhi held onto their four-point advantage till the 31^st minute, but three consecutive two-point raids from Rajnish helped the Titans reduce Delhi to a solitary man on the mat. Naveen responded with a two-point raid that kept the All Out at bay and revived a defender. But Rajnish took care of both defenders in the subsequent raid to help the Titans inflict the All Out and take the lead.

The lead didn’t last long, however, as Naveen added three more points to his team’s total to give them a narrow one-point lead. In the penultimate raid of the game, Delhi’s Krishan executed a perfect Ankle Hold on Rajnish to help his team pin down the raider and take a two-point lead with 30 seconds left on the clock.

Naveen went in for the game’s final raid and watched the clock wind down to surrender a point but ensure Delhi secured a hard-fought victory. 

Top Performers

Dabang Delhi K.C.

Best Raider – Naveen Kumar (25 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Manjeet Chhillar (2 Tackle Points)

Telugu Titans

Best Raider – Rajnish (20 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Surinder Singh (4 Tackle Points)