Nabibakhsh’s dream debut leads Bengal Warriors to victory over U.P Yoddha

Bengal Warriors put on a commanding display in their first match of VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 7 to cruise past U.P. Yoddha by a scoreline of 48-17 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Mohammad Nabibakhsh recorded a Super 10 on debut for Bengal Warriors, while Baldev Singh registered a High 5.

U.P. Yoddha were quick off the blocks and were 4-0 up early thanks to some good defensive work. It was eventually Bengal Warriors skipper Maninder Singh who got his side on the scoreboard after a successful two-point raid.

Maninder’s opposite number Nitesh Kumar responded with some good tackles for U.P. Yoddha as both teams continued to trade blows in what was a tight first quarter of the match. Nitesh was continuing to be a threat to the Bengal Warriors raiders but Nabibakhsh removed him from the mat with and set up the first All-Out of the night in the 14th minute to give his team an 11-7 lead.

With momentum on their side, Bengal Warriors ensured they ended the half strongly by scoring nine points in the last five minutes. A couple of successful raids by Maninder and K Prapanjan, as well as a few well-executed tackles by the defenders, meant that Bengal Warriors led by 17-9 at the break.

Bengal Warriors started the second half in the same way they ended the first and went on to inflict a second All-Out on U.P. Yoddha in just the second minute. Nabibakhsh continued to prove his raiding prowess and pulled off a two-point raid before a robust tackle by Jeeva Kumar – who was putting on a strong performance himself – handed U.P. Yoddha their second All-Out.

Both Bengal Warriors and Nabibakhsh weren’t done yet though and upped the ante even further. A stunning Super Raid by the Iranian preceded the third All-Out of the match on U.P. Yoddha and gave Bengal Warriors an almost unassailable 33-13 lead in the 26th minute.

With their confidence growing, the Bengal Warriors players began to show their best, with Baldev in particular, finding great success while tackling. However, Nabibakhsh was looking the liveliest and he continued to make his presence felt by removing the two remaining U.P. Yoddha defenders on the mat in the 37th minute for the fourth and final All-Out of the match on U.P Yoddha. Bengal Warriors’ defence maintained their intensity right till the final whistle and the team ended the night with the biggest win of the season so far.   

Top Performers:

U.P. Yoddha –

Best Raider – Monu Goyat (5 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Nitesh Kumar (2 Tackle Points)

Bengal Warriors –

Best Raider – Mohammad Nabibakhsh (10 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Baldev Singh (7 Tackle Points)