PKL 2024 Highlights: Ashu Malik dominates as Dabang Delhi beats Bengaluru Bulls; Tamil Thalaivas thrash Bengal Warriorz

40 seconds to go. Can the Bulls pull off something special and reduce the gap to seven? 

Ashu is running the clock down. 20 seconds to go as Pardeep Narwal comes in to raid. He is brought down in the right corner. No struggle. 

Mohit will put in the final raid of the night. Bulls will manage a consolatory final point, but the match has been won in some style by Dabang Delhi.

14 points for Ashu Malik and he has the green sleeve given to the top raider yet again.

1.5 minutes to go now. Six points separate these two teams. Empty raids do not help. How are they playing on the third raid here, the Bulls? DOD raid and Ashu Malik comes in. Good chance to clean house for Ashu. A super tackle option there for Bulls but Ashu has pushed the left corner out of bounds. Lead for Delhi up to seven. DOD raids for the Bulls and Saurabh Nandal the last man standing is pushed out of the mat. No bonus either and that will seal the result. 10 point lead now for Delhi.

Three minutes to go in this match. Jai Bhagwan is dashed out. Delhi’s lead extends. 2.5 minutes to go. Bulls down to two men. Ashu Malik is happy to run the clock down with an empty raid. 2 minutes left in this game. Saurabh Nandal goes to raid but doesn’t get the bonus. 

Mohit is now running the clock down to just slow the game down a bit. Delhi then manages to bring down Akshit. Mohit the man who gets the point. Holds both his legs. Ashu Malik is revived. Ashu then gets a touch on Naveen. That lead is up to five points now. TIME OUT CALLED BY DELHI.

Vinay has been brought down now. Bulls have reduced the deficit to three points. Incredible passage of play for the men in red and black. Ashu Malik is a bit miffed on the bench. Can the Bulls pull off a favourable result here? 

10 Super 10s for Ashu this season.What a raider! 

Empty raids for both sides before Akshit gets a bonus. That deficit now down to seven points. DOD raid for Delhi. Three people on the mat for the Bulls and it’s Ashu Malik raiding. He’s brought down in the left corner and it’s not Nitin Rawal there. It’s Naveen Kundu. Akshit gets a bonus to hack the deficit down further. UNDER SIX MINUTES TO GO.

Under 10 minutes to go in this game. Ashu Malik almost looks like he’s gone past the midline with about three people near him. But it looks like his hand might have gone past. A point is given to the Bulls for the tackle but the referees are still talking. He’s got his hand on that white line. HOLD ON. REVERSED! RAIDER SAFE. TWO POINTS FOR DELHI. Now the Bulls review and say Ashu is out. His hand has not gone past the line, but it’s on the line in full. It needs to cut the white line. 

REVIEW UNSUCCESSFUL. SUPER RAID GIVEN. Naveen is beaming from the stands. The review backfires on the Bulls. Sunny, Parteek, Nitin Rawal have to go back to the bench. SUPER 10 FOR ASHU NARWAL.

Another point to Delhi as Pardeep is brought down in the right edge of the mat.

10 minutes to go in this game. Akshit, with defenders coming at him, flies to the midline. He tempts Yogesh in the right corner and takes Sandeep with him. Good point this. Such speed and agility. TIME OUT CALLED.

Ashu for once gets the better of Nitin. He puts in a slippery tackle attempt on the Delhi raider and has to visit the bench. 

Nitin Rawal already has a high five and is hungry for more. 12 minutes to go in this game. Mohit goes in now for a DOD raid and Nitin Rawal will get his man. Ironclad anklehold. DOD raid now for the Bulls and Akshit manages to drag the Delhi left corner to the midline. Where was Akshit in the first half? 

Vinay now comes in for a DOD raid for Delhi. The left corner chain comes in to stop him and he is stuck. Jai Bhagwan now comes for a do-or-die raid. But even he fails. Brought down in the centre of the mat, very close to the midline.

A few points in a flurry in the first minute of the second half. Both teams seem to be playing to the third raid strategy. Vinay has been subbed out. Monu goes in for Delhi on a DOD raid and Sunny Sehrawat has gone for both his ankles. Nitin Rawal doesn’t need to do anything. Pardeep Narwal now comes for a DOD raid but he disintegrates in the left flanks. He is not the most agile for these situations. 

Just like that, Delhi is down to three men. But Bulls pull down Pardeep Narwal deep in the right corner. SUPER TACKLE. Sandeep and Mohit smack Pardeep back into the Delhi deep end. HALF TIME and it’s a five point lead for Dabang Delhi.

Empty raids from Pardeep Narwal and Vinay follow. Under 2.5 minutes left in this half. DOD raid for the Bulls and Pardeep Narwal comes in. He’s brought down by the midline but that hand has crept past the mid line. The dubki comes in, but it’s blocked, however, incredible mat sense as his right hand comes out and gets past the line. This is the Pardeep Narwal we know. Ashish Malik, Vinay, Yogesh have been sent to the bench. Ashu Malik comes in and employs the dubki himself, but five red shirts leave him stranded. There’s a jersey pulling warning given to Saurabh Nandal. 

This isn’t even a DOD raid and Ashu Malik spends the entire duration to try and pick a point off Nitin Rawal. Pure intent from Delhi and Ashu Malik. Bulls put in an empty raid and Ashu is back. Super tackle is on. BIG MOMENT. Both Bulls defenders try and hold him back but Ashu gets out of their grasp. First a kick on Saurabh Nandal, Nitin tries to block him, but he escapes EVERYTHING. ALL OUT INFLICTED.

Empty raid for Delhi’s Mohit. Jai Bhagwan manages a bonus for the Bulls. Green card warning is given to Vinay for disturbing the raid. He is then given a point for a massive kick on Arulnanthababu. Jai Bhagwan is then brought down by Sandeep. Down to two men now the Bulls. 

Pardeep Narwal whips out his dubki but it has not been effective for a few years now. He is brought down inches away from the midline. The chain lowered itself to adjust to that dubki. Ashu Malik is brought down by Nitin Rawal. Solid anklehold. SUPER TACKLE. TWO POINTS FOR NITIN. The deficit now, just one point. 

Pardeep Narwal is back raiding. Coach has said focus on the bonus, but Pardeep is not looking at that option at all. He goes for the toe touch, finds room for the bonus and gets it. Ashu Malik then gets a massive back kick on Parteek. What a high kick this. Terrific skill. 

Pardeep gets his first point courtesy a running hand touch on Sandeep. First point from his third raid. Pardeep is just not looking for the bonus. It is a bit sad to watch how this mighty man ahs fallen. Ashu Malik follows and he acrobatically runs to safety after a touch on Sunny. 

Ashu and Pardeep coming in one after another really puts how far kabaddi has come and how much Pardeep has fallen off the radar into perspective. 

10 minutes done. Time out called.

An empty raid for Ajinkya Pawar and Mohit each. DOD raid for the Bulls now and in comes Jai Bhagwan. He is thulped out of the mat, almost lifted and thrown. Yogesh doing the hard work. No chance for Jai Bhagwan. Mohit now gets a touch on Ajinkya Pawar in the right cover region to add to Delhi’s points. Finally, Pardeep comes in for his second raid. Nine minutes after his first. He is yet to open his account. And he will still wait to score. 

Mohit and Ajinkya Pawar put in empty raids. As does Ajinkya Pawar. DOD raid and it’s Vinay with bandaging on his face. A bandage to his lip. Parteek sorts him out and brings him down in the right cover region. 

Empty raids for Jai Bhagwan and Mohit for their respective teams. Jai Bhagwan comes in for the DOD raid. Four people on the mat for Delhi and he’s brought down. Right corner Yogesh getting hold of his leg to finish him up. 

Ajinkya Pawar is the third raider for the Bulls today. Begins with an empty raid. Nitin Rawal then drags back Ashu Malik and turns him out of the mat. No bonus too. Incredible from Nitin. 

Either Ashu Malik is making things look incredibly easy or this is a lazy effort from the Bulls. As he falls back to safety, Ashu takes two red shirts with him – Sunny, Arulnanthababu. Jai Bhagwan fights fire with fire and runs back with two points of his own. Ashish Malik, Gaurav Chillar go to the bench. 

Ashu Malik, the second best raider of the season so far, will get us started in this second game. Bonus for him. The stadium then comes alive as Pardeep Narwal comes in to raid. He returns emptyhanded though. 

Dabang Delhi: Ashu Malik, Gaurav Chillar, Sandeep, Vinay, Mohit, Yogesh, Ashish Malik

Bengaluru Bulls: Pardeep Narwal, Sunny, Parteek, Jai Bhagwan, Ajinkya Pawar, Arulnanthababu, Nitin Rawal

In PKL history, Dabang Delhi K. C. and Bengaluru Bulls have played each other 23 times.

Dabang Delhi K. C. lead the head-to-head record, winning 11 times while Bengaluru Bulls have returned with wins on 10 occasions. Two matches between these teams ended in ties.

The last Dabang Delhi K. C. vs Bengaluru Bulls match saw the latter come out on top with a 34-33 victory earlier in Season 11.

With 4 wins, 5 losses and a tie, Dabang Delhi K. C. are sixth on the PKL 11 points table with 27 points.

Bengaluru Bulls, meanwhile, have 13 points and are 11th on the points table. They have won 2 and lost 7 times.

Dabang Delhi K. C. were involved in a 38-38 tie with Puneri Paltan in their last match on November 12.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru Bulls lost their last match against Jaipur Pink Panthers by a 32-39 scoreline on November 12.

A tale of two halves this. Take a look at how the Thalaivas turned on the heat in the second half

ANOTHER SUPER TACKLE TO ROUND OFF WHAT’S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE DEFENSIVE GAME FOR THALAIVAS. Akash is brought down. Bastami is warned for neck holding. 

Final raid of the night and Bastami is the one who will finish this game. He has a big smile for Fazel who gives him a high five as the final whistle goes off. 15-point defeat for the Warriorz. This is not great for the side.

Under a minute and a half left. Akash is incredible as he escapes Moein Shafaghi to safety. Moein has a smile on his face. One minute to go. Bastami comes in to raid and runs the clock down. 

ANOTHER SUPER TACKLE. Vishwas brought down. THalaivas are roaring here. 15 points the deficit now. 

Bastami and Anuj Gawade bring down Nitin. Fazel’s strategy fails here. High five for the Iranian. Bengal then brings down Narender. Two minutes left. Bengal needs to now figure out a way to bring the gap within that 7-point margin. 

Narender takes out Manjeet who tackles him too high up in the mat. Nitin then gets a touch on Vishal Chahal. Thalaivas will be happy to waste time. Fazel is now giving Nitin instructions to go for Bastami. TIMEOUT. Thalaivas down to three men.

Nitin Dhankar now sends off Nitesh Kumar to get one more point for the Warriorz. Four minutes left. 12 points the gap. Is it too much now? 

Zero fight from the Warriorz. Consolation for the Warriorz as Nitesh brings down Moein Shafaghi. Solid anklehold and support from the rest of the defence. Six and a half minutes to go. Vishwas is dashed out by Bastami. But Vishwas has his left leg inside. and his hand goes through and now Bastami has to head to the bench. 14 point deficit still in place. Make it 15. Vishal Chahal gets Fazel again. He botches that anklehold. Nitin ticks away though, revives him immediately as he gets out of Abhishek Manokaran’s hold. Moein Shafaghi is then angrily brought down by Fazel. Gets a hold of both his legs. 

Under 10 minutes to go. Four men left for Warriorz and no Fazel on the mat. Sagar Kumar steps out while Vishal Chahal is raiding. Vishal is happy to do nothing more. Rookie errors. SUPER 10 FOR VISHAL CHAHAL.

Vishwas then follows on a DOD raid. He gets the bonus but he cannot get his hand past the midline despite his desperate attempts before the whistle blows. Vishal then gets a touch on Mayur Kadam. One man left for the Warriorz. Nitesh will raid now. Different game. Same story for the Warriorz. ANOTHER ALL OUT INFLICTED.

Empty raids follow for Vishwas and Moein Shafaghi. Vishal Chahal comes in for a DOD raid. There’s five Warriorz players on the mat and he audaciously go for Fazel. Too simple. Fazel went for his ankle and he slips out. 10 minutes left in this game now.

ANOTHER SUPER RAID FOR MOEIN SHAFAGHI. He has three. Nitesh Kumar, Praveen Thakur, Mayur Kadam. What a player he is turning out to be. Nitin Dhankar is then brought down by the right corner. Amir Hossein Bastami and Nitesh Kumar orchestrating this takedown. Empty raid for Vishal Chahal. Now Vishwas has two points as he is brought down near the midline on the left, but not without getting his hand past the line. Gets a pat from Fazel as he sends back Abhishek Manokaran and Amir Hossein Bastami

Bonus for Vishwas and Bengal now. Thalaivas review this saying he has no bonus. Nice way to meddle with the morale of the Warriorz. REVIEW UNSUCCESSFUL. Both teams dont have a review now. 

Bonus for Thalaivas and Narender. Nitin runs back with a bonus for himself as well. 

Vishal Chahal gets a touch on Mayur Kadam. Meanwhile, Sushil Kambrekar who comes in to the left corner expecting an ankle hold is held by the waist by Nitesh Kumar. Vishal then comes in and jumps over Bengal’s Nitesh to reduce Bengal to one man. And he’s brought down yet again on the left flank. ALL OUT INFLICTED YET AGAIN. High five for Nitesh Kumar. And just like that, Bengal trails by 10 points.

Still no Maninder or Sachin. Narender begins the second half with a bonus it seems but the referees take back the bonus awarded. Nitin Dhankar goes in for Warriorz. Empty raid though. Narender attempts a hand touch on Fazel Atrachali. Fazel is screaming that he has not legitimised the raid. But officials don’t pay heed to this as Warriorz don’t have a review. Nitin puts in an empty raid. Narender comes in on an DOD raid. He goes into the right corner. He gets a touch on Praveen Thakur and Nitesh Kumar is livid. 

Meanwhile the Nitesh Kumar on the Thalaivas brings down Nitin. 

Bonus for Nitin Dhankar. Vishal Chahal is finally brought down. Mayur Kadam chops him down on his own. Deficit down to two between these two teams as the clock runs out on this first half.

Moein Shafaghi is brought down by Sagar Kumar who is ready to catch him mid jump. Thumped down is the Iranian. A few empty raids follow. 

DOD raid for Bengal. Vishwas comes in and is swallowed by the corner defence, Bastami grabbing his legs. Big smile from Dharmaraj. 

Fazel then goes for a backhold on Vishal Chahal. He gets no support and Vishal drags himself to safety. Empty raid for Narender now. 

Nitin Dhankar picks a point with a toe touch on Nitesh. Vishal Chahal continues to keep the scoreboard ticking dragging Mayur Kadam with him to the midline. AFL footballer Joshua Kennedy is watching from the stands. 

An angry Fazel brings down Moein Shafaghi singlehandedly. Meanwhile, we see Dharmaraj Cheralathan, Thalaivas coach, telling his boys to go for the bonus points. 

SUPER RAID FOR VISHAL CHAHAL AND he’s taken three – Sagar Kumar and Nitesh Kumar, Mayur Kadam. Fazel played it safe and is the last man standing. He goes in to raid and he is left stranded in the deep end of the mat. ALL OUT INFLICTED. TABLES TURNED.

DOD raid for the Warriorz. Nitin is left stranded in the left corner. The Thalaivas’ Nitesh stars with a solid anklehold. 

Bonus point for Vishal Chahal. Empty raid for Vishwas. Moein Shafaghi is claiming a touch on Vishwas. He is given the point. Will the Warriorz review? Yes they do. Replays are so touch and go. It’s hard to tell. Without conclusive evidence, the decision won’t change. REVIEW IS UNSUCCESSFUL. Warriorz lose their review. 

Empty raid for Moein Shafaghi and Sagar Kumar for their respective teams. Vishal Chahal comes in for Thalaivas on a do-or-die raid. But Fazel Atrachali stamps his dominance. His first point of the night and the coach rises in joy. WAIT WAIT. There’s more joy coming. 

VISHWAS IS ASKING FOR THREE POINTS. He ventures into the left corner and on his way out, he seems to have pulled out three? Referees are taking their time to arrive at this decision. Two points for the Bengal Warriors plus a bonus for Vishwas. How about that! Nitesh Kumar, Amir Hossein Bastami head to the bench. 

Shafaghi pulls one back as he pushes Praveen Thakur back, who comes behind him to try and stop him. An empty raid for Vishwas and it’s time for the first timeout of the game.

Nitin gets a bonus for the Warriorz. Narender goes in to raid and there’s a highline left defence for him. Nitesh is drawing him in aggressively. Where has this been in the last two heavy defeats they had? 

Thalaivas aren’t loud but they’ve brought down Nitin Dhankar. Amir Hossein Bastami the defender here. 

Defensive units are trading blows. Bonus point for Vishwas but the left corner activates this time to bring him down. But Nitesh is out wanting to prove a point. Vishal Chahal tries to fly over Nitesh but he’s got a hold on his legs. Incredible stuff. 

Narender is brought down by the right corner. Nitesh Kumar goes in for the anklehold and Fazel runs in to help with the upper body. 

Nitin Dhankar looks like he has multiple defenders on him as he almost gets past the midline. ALMOST. He doesn’t though. What a miss. Maninder watches from the sidelines. 

Narender is dashed out. He went through the midline but it looks like his body is out of the mat. Anuj Gawade doing the hard work. Warriorz are given the point, but Thalaivas review. Very early review this. OH hold on. Looks like Narender’s left hand was within the lobby. Incredible awareness and confidence this. 

Nitin Dhankar gets his and Bengal’s first point of the night. Toe touch on Anuj Gawade. Quite smooth that. Do-or-die (DOD) raid for the Thalaivas. Moein Shafagi, who had a great game against U Mumba, is trusted with this. But he’s sent to the bench. The right cover defender Sagar Kumar stars for the Warriorz.

Nitin begins for the Warriorz and attacks the right corner right up front. But he will return without the bonus. Narender enters the mat next. Empty raid but not without giving Fazel’s heart a flutter. The first point of the night goes to Tamil Thalaivas. Vishwas is brought down by Nitesh Kumar, the left corner. 

Tamil Thalaivas Won The Toss and selected Choice of court: Right

BW: Vishwas S, Mayur Kadam, Praveen Thakur, Sagar Kumar, Nitin Kumar, Nitesh Kumar, Fazel Atrachali

TT: Moein Shafaghi, Abhishek Manokaran, Anuj Gawade, Vishal Chahal, Narender Kandola, Amir Hossein, Nitesh Kumar

No Sachin Tanwar, no Sahil Gulia in the starting 7 for the Tamil Thalaivas. No Maninder Singh in the starting 7 for the Bengal side.

Ashu Malik from Dabang Delhi is the lone representative from today’s participating teams in the top five raiders tally. Says so much about what today’s sides are missing in their arsenal. 

Bengal Warriorz have faced Tamil Thalaivas 14 times in the history of PKL.

With 10 wins against Tamil Thalaivas, Bengal Warriorz are ahead in the head-to-head record. Tamil Thalaivas have won 3 times while 1 match ended in a tie.

The previous contest between Bengal Warriorz and Tamil Thalaivas ended in favour of the latter. They won 74-37 in Season 10.

After 9 matches, Bengal Warriorz are ninth on the PKL Season 11 points table. They have won 3, lost 4 and tied twice, amassing 23 points so far.

On the other hand, Tamil Thalaivas are 10th after winning 3 matches, losing 5 and playing out a tie. They have a total of 22 points.

Bengal Warriorz head into this encounter on the back of a defeat against Patna Pirates on November 15. They lost the match 31-52 and it was their fourth loss in Pro Kabaddi League Season 11.

Tamil Thalaivas also lost their last match against U Mumba by a 32-35 scoreline on November 14.

Here’s a look at the standings before today’s fixtures. All teams involved today need victories to steady their campaigns. Mid table sides Bengal Warriorz and Dabang Delhi have plenty of chinks to straighten while things are looking hopeless for Bengaluru Bulls. Tamil Thalaivas, after a solid start to the season, have fallen off the radar. Can a weak Warriorz side be the perfect punching bag to help revitalise their campaign?

Catch Sportstar’s live coverage of the Pro Kabaddi League at the Noida Indoor Stadium on November 16, 2024. Bengal Warriorz take on Tamil Thalaivas in the first game; Dabang Delhi vs Bengaluru Bulls is up next. Stay tuned for previews, stats, the starting 7 and much more.