Dabang Delhi were knocked out of Pro Kabaddi 2016 Season 4 after suffering a 34-39 loss at the hands of Puneri Paltan on Tuesday night in Delhi’s Thyagraj Sports Complex. The home team came into the match needing to win big but it was not to be as a string of errors and lack of composure in the second half saw them end up on the losing side. Coach Sagar Bandekar was positive about the heart his team had shown but admitted that the project was still work in progress.
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Speaking about their exit from the tournament, Bandekar said, “The team played well in my opinion and my boys showed a lot of heart but some errors cost us dearly. One thing I can say for sure is that the effort and dedication was their but these are young lads and that is bound to come into play, some way or the other. We started off the game well but the second half turned out to be not so good.”
Dabang Delhi were on the front foot right from the beginning of the match and kept taking the attack to Puneri Paltan, not letting them settle down even once. Even when Delhi were reduced to three men on several occasions, their defenders produced Super Tackles to keep them ahead of Pune, who could not effect an All Out for a really long time. However, something happened and Deepak Niwas Hooda put on the after burners in the second half to condemn Delhi to a heart-breaking defeat.
Just to put things in perspective, Deepak Niwas Hooda produced 17 points on the night and proved to be the difference between the two teams. Delhi’s inabilty in defence, which was represented by the failures of Sachin Shingade and Prashant Chavan, was the main reason behind their loss and Bandekar acknowledged that while saying he missed the presence of Sanket Chavan.
“We probably lost the match because of Sachin Shingade not performing tonight. He has played really good kabaddi this season but tonight was not just his night. Anil Kumar was good but he is pretty static and not as mobile as Sanket Chavan, who would have certainly made a difference tonight,” he said.
Dabang Delhi have just one match left in Pro Kabaddi 2016 Season 4 and they are looking at another sixth or seventh place finish. However, the team has shown better performances this season and coach Bandekar feels the addition of experience in the side could do wonders for them. “There is no denying that this side is young and needs someone who can lead from the front.
“We will be looking to bring in a player, who will be able to keep the team together and has a lot of experience. That would be essential for us if we want to qualify for the semi-finals and win the title next season. Kashiling Adake has been terrific and so has been Meraj Sheykh but we need more firepower in our team,” he concluded.
Dabang Delhi end their Pro Kabaddi campaign tonight against U Mumba, who are still in the hunt for a place in the semi-final if the other result goes their way. The home team, on the other hand, will be looking to provide some respite to their fans after two crushing losses and end the campaign on a winning note.
