August 6, 2014, New Delhi: In the moments leading up to the final battle at Delhi’s Thyagraj stadium, a powerful tension filled the air. Both teams raw from their previous losses stood eye to eye, both eager for the taste of victory. With Dabang Delhi’s superstar raider Kashiling Adanke going against foreign favorite Jang Kun Lee from the Bengal Warriors, the audience was prepared for a spectacle.
To the thrill of the hometown fans, Delhi’s Surjeet Narwal scored the match’s first points, scoring two touches as he weaved through the Bengal defense. But it was when Kashiling stepped across the centerline that Delhi found its true voice. A roaring chant of “Ka-shi, Ka-shi” filled the stadium as Kashiling’s towering figure darted in and grabbed Dabang Delhi another point. Immediately, this point was countered by the Bengal Warrior’s own giant, Jang Kun, who made evading a group of highly trained, 80-kilogram men look easy. As the game continued, Delhi created a stronger and stronger lead. Facing only 2 remaining Bengal Warriors, Delhi’s raider Surjeet was able to take out Shyam Kumar Sharma, leaving only Jang Kun behind. Jang Kun’s do-or-die raid resulted in a dog pile of Dabang Delhi players, and underneath it all, a grinning Jang Kun admitting his temporary defeat.
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With all the Kolkata players back on the mat, Kashiling began his hunting in earnest. A series of deadly precision raids took apart the Bengal Warriors one at a time, with Surjeet scoring the penultimate touch, once again leaving Jang Kun as the sole remaining player. An empty raid from Jang Kun gave Delhi the raid, and none other than Kashiling Adanke stepped onto the Bengal side. The duel resulted in a firm grab on Kashiling’s ankle by Jang Kun, but as Kashiling pulled himself back to the Delhi side, Jang Kun realized he had just given Dabang Delhi their second all out.
Thus, the entire Delhi team was primed for success. Halftime marked the score at 27 -11, and an aggressively powerful string of Delhi raids and anti-raids once again left only Jang Kun on the Bengal side. His first do-or-die raid successfully placed teammate Shyam Kumar Sharma by his side, who through foolish defense was once again promptly off the mat. Jang Kun’s next do-or-die raid left him feeling the full weight of the Dabang Defense, and a 3rd all out.
All seemed lost for the Bengal Warriors. Outdone in almost every raid and anti-raid, those few Bengal fans in the audience began to feel a sense of hopelessness, staring at a score of 34 – 12, and a humiliating point differential of 22. But then, to the amazement of the entire audience, the Dabang Delhi’s team began to shrink. Kishiling Adake had been taken down. Through a seemingly miraculous source of newfound diligence and revamped offensive skill, the Bengal Warriors began to turn the tides, taking out Delhi teammates with the same alacrity that Delhi had been displaying for the beginning of the game.
An disbelieving crowd looked on, open-mouthed, as a powerhouse raid by Bengal Nitin Madane took out the last Delhi player and earned the Bengal Warriors their first all out. Even with this turnaround, the score still stood at Bengal Warriors 23, Dabang Delhi 41, with only 10 minutes remaining. A point gap that would discourage any team seemed to have absolutely no effect on the Warriors. 8 minutes later, they had stripped Delhi down again, and when Kashiling embarked on his do-or-die raid, it was Jang Kun Lee’s vengeful force that brought him down. With two all outs in the last 10 minutes, the fans in Delhi were treated to a true display of comeback spirit, and even though they were unable to comeback for the victory, the Bengal Warriors had no reason to see failure in the final 46 – 36 score.
