PKL: Dabang Delhi reign supreme over Gujarat Giants

On Thursday, skipper Ashu Malik led the charge with 14 points, while Fazel Atrachali's High Five anchored the defence as the side continued their unbeaten start to the season, as per a press release from PKL.

The table toppers led 8-6 at the 10-minute mark, with Ajinkya Pawar and Ashu Malik combining for five raid points and Fazel Atrachali and Sandeep holding firm in defence. Ajinkya delivered in Do-Or-Die situations, while Ashu dismissed Shadloui to keep the Season 8 champions ahead.

For the Giants, Aryavardhan Navale stood out with three raid points, supported by Rakesh's couple of strikes. However, missed Do-Or-Die opportunities meant the Giants couldn't fully capitalise on Dabang Delhi's empty raids, leaving the contest finely balanced in the opening phase.

However, the script changed in the second phase of the game. Sandeep Deswal successfully tackled Rakesh, and Ashu followed it up with consecutive successful raids, first dismissing Shubham Kumar and then Sumit. This reduced the Giants to just one player - Parteek Dahiya - who was eventually brought down by Fazel Atrachali, inflicting the 'ALL OUT'.

This set the tone for the remainder of the first half. Shadloui struggled to make an impact and failed to open his account, while Ashu, recovering from a slow start, produced two consecutive multi-point raids to complete his fifth straight Super 10. With strong support from Ajinkya, Dabang Delhi went into the break with a commanding 21-14 lead.

Another 'ALL OUT' loomed over the Giants after multiple successful raids from Dabang Delhi, but Rakesh pulled it back with a touch point on Surjeet Singh. This was followed by a Super Tackle when Ashu stepped into the lobby by mistake.

However, it proved to be just a mini comeback, as the 'ALL OUT' arrived before the end of the third quarter. Shadloui continued to struggle, and Rakesh failed to impress after being tackled by Saurabh Nandal. Aryavardhan was brought down by Fazel, and Ashu picked off Shadloui with a touch point to inflict the second 'ALL OUT', leaving the score at 31-21 with 10 minutes to play.

In what seemed like a consolation, Parteek Dahiya managed a successful raid against Neeraj Narwal, followed by a multi-point raid that dismissed Surjeet and Sandeep. But for every point the Giants scored, Dabang Delhi had an immediate response.

As the match drew to a close, Dabang Delhi sealed yet another commanding win, with Fazel Atrachali completing his High Five after tackling Parteek. Shadloui finally opened his account with successful tackles on Ajinkya and Mohit, but it was too little too late. Led confidently by Ashu Malik, Dabang Delhi wrapped up a 10-point victory to make it five wins in five.

Earlier, in the penultimate game of the first leg of PKL 12, U Mumba edged past the Patna Pirates in a nail-biting contest, pulling off a thrilling 40-39 victory at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag on Thursday.

Ayan Lohchab scripted history to become the first player to record successive 20-point games in PKL history, but was left heartbroken as a costly unforced error in the dying seconds tilted the game away from his side. For U Mumba, Amirmohammad Zafardanesh starred with a Super 10, while Anil made vital contributions in what turned out to be a high-scoring night. (ANI)