The action resumed after a day's break in the Pro Kabaddi League 2018 as the home side Dabang Delhi KC faced off against the Telugu Titans at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex in Delhi.
Telugu Titans came into the match on the back of a three-match losing streak over the past two legs (Ahmedabad and Pune) which put a slight dent in their playoff chances. However, they have matches in hand and with the home leg approaching, can mount a challenge to make it to the playoffs spot. They enjoy a healthy 8-0 head-to-head advantage over the Dabang Delhi KC franchise over the past five seasons.
Dabang Delhi won their last encounter at home against the Puneri Paltan and were brimming with confidence having won two of their three matches in Delhi. The raiding department has been a steady performer for them with the trio - Naveen Kumar, Chandran Ranjit, and Meraj Sheykh operating well together. The defence also has been in good touch with Ravinder Pahal, Joginder Narwal and Vishal Mane all pitching in with tackles.
The first half of the match started with the Dabang Delhi KC side taking control of proceedings on the mat courtesy the raiding prowess of Meraj Sheykh and Chandran Ranjit. Vishal Mane was the best defender on the mat picking up four points as they inflicted an all-out to take a comfortable lead. Telugu Titans' defence found it tough to get going but Rahul Chaudhari and Kamal Singh did well as the first half ended 21-13 in favour of the home side.
The second period of the match saw Delhi continue their hold over the game but Titans managed to get their act together in the end. They scored an all-out in the final raid of the match to get a point from the match with the score at 34-29 in the end.
Dabang Delhi KC
Joginder Narwal - (2/10)
The Dabang Delhi skipper had a quiet night as he failed to score a tackle point but led the side well to keep the Titans in check.
Ravinder Pahal - (2/10)
The other corner defender of the Delhi side, Ravinder 'The Hawk' Pahal had an off-night as he failed to lock in tackles on the right corner.
Vishal Mane - (7.5/10)
The cover defender continued his form tonight picking up four tackle points in the first half with his strong blocks and dashes. He ended up with six tackle points in the end including one Super Tackle on Rahul Chaudhari.
Rajesh Narwal - (3/10)
The all-rounder picked up a solitary tackle point in the first half but was a good support to his teammates in the backline.
Naveen Kumar - (4/10)
The promising young raider had a quiet first half tonight with just four attempted raids scoring two touch points. He added one point in the second half and had an uncharacteristic outing from his usual standards.
Chandran Ranjit - (6/10)
The raider did well in the first period getting five raid points on the board including two successful bonus attempts. He did not have much success in the second half and was substituted after a number of empty raids on the trot.
Meraj Sheykh - (8/10)
The feisty Iranian all-rounder was in top form tonight for the home side picking up six raids from eight raids in the first half. He managed three points and was a constant threat for the Telugu defence with his tenacity on the mat.
Substitutes
Satpal - (5/10)
The defender came off the bench to replace Chandran Ranjit in the final ten minutes of the match. He scored a stunning Super Tackle on Rahul Chaudhari with a strong ankle hold.
Telugu Titans
Vishal Bhardwaj - (3/10)
Telugu Titans' skipper Vishal Bhardwaj had a quiet first half of the match failing to pick up any tackle point. He did get one tackle point in the end but will hope for a better performance in the future.
Abozar Mighani - (4/10)
The powerhouse Iranian corner defender had a poor first half getting tagged by Meraj Sheykh on a couple of occasions and managed just one tackle point. He added another tackle point in the second half of the match.
Rahul Chaudhari - (7/10)
The star raider of the Telugu Titans had a decent first half managing five points including three bonuses but was tackled three times by the Delhi defence. He was benched for a majority of the second half but returned for the final six minutes and picked up a couple of points.
Rakshith - (5/10)
The raider had a fairly quiet first half of the match but did well in the second half. He scored four raid points in the second half to keep the scoreboard ticking for the Titans.
C Manoj Kumar - (3/10)
The all-rounder did not have much of an impact on the mat for the Titans tonight. He managed one tackle point in the first half and had a quiet second half.
Farhad Milaghardan - (4/10)
The Iranian all-rounder did not have a good outing in the defence tonight failing to pick up any tackle point. However, he put in a two-point raid in the second half to get himself on the scoreboard.
Kamal Singh- (7/10)
The young raider who started tonight was in good touch working well alongside Rahul Chaudhari in the raiding department. He scored a total of six raid points with three successful bonus point attempts.
Substitutes
Armaan - (2/10)
The young raider came off the bench in the second half to replace Rahul Chaudhari in the raiding unit. He did not have any success and was back on the bench.
Mohsen Maghsoudlou - (4/10)
The Iranian all-rounder came on in the late minutes of the match and scored two points - one raid point and one tackle point.
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