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The Kolkata Thunderbolts exhibited an incredible all-round performance to humble the Ahmedabad Defenders 3-0 (15-13, 15-10, 15-12) to clinch the inaugural Prime Volleyball League (PVL) title at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday.
The Thunderbolts dominated the proceedings from the moment they stepped onto the court. Using their natural strengths, the phenomenal trio K. Rahul, Vinit Kumar and skipper Ashwal Rai ruled the attacking section while Mathew August and Mohd Riyazuddin took good care of the defence.
Ashwal Rai and Vinit Kumar starred as the Thunderbolts took a 10-8 lead in the first set. The Defenders initially committed a couple of unforced errors. However, Shon T John came in to produce a good spike to level the scores at 13-13. Vinit once again pulled off a spectacular serve to help the Thunderbolts close out the first set at 15-13.
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Skipper Ashwal Rai and Vinit Kumar continued to dominate as the Thunderbolts took a massive 9-5 lead in the second set followed by Rahul's spike that helped the Thunderbolts maintain the lead to eventually win the second set at 15-10.
The Thunderbolts continued to control the match as they held the lead at 8-5 in the third set. The Defenders tried to sustain sheer dominance from the opponents through Manoj LM's effort. However, the Thunderbolts were unstoppable as they took a 11-8 lead and eventually swept the third set as well as the championship at 15-12.
PVL 2022 awards: Players who stole the show
Volleyball is a team sport, but there are some special players who never fail to amaze and repeatedly outperform themselves to help their respective teams outshine others.
A few of those players in the 2022 PVL:
PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Vinit Kumar from Kolkata Thunderbolts
FANTASY PLAYER OF THE SEASON - Shon T John from Ahmedabad Defenders
SPIKER OF THE SEASON - Angamuthu from Ahmedabad Defenders
BLOCKER OF THE SEASON - John Joseph from Hyderabad Black Hawks
EMERGING PLAYER OF THE SEASON - S.V. Guru Prasanth from Hyderabad Black Hawks
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER - Vinit Kumar from Kolkata Thunderbolts
