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Ashu Malik single-handedly wrote a beautiful script for the Dabang Delhi KC in match 50 of Pro Kabaddi League 11 as he completed his eighth consecutive Super 10 and also secured an impressive 38-38 tie with the Puneri Paltan at the Noida Indoor Stadium on Tuesday.
The stand-in skipper finished with 17 points to ensure that his team went home with half the points on the night. Puneri Paltan started in a dominating fashion as Akash Shinde took the mantle of the raiding without their skipper Aslam Inamdar. The bright start was carried on by defenders Aman and Abinesh Nadarajan, who won crucial tackle points. Mohit Goyat inflicted the first All Out of the match on the Dabang Delhi KC in the 10th minute, but Ashu Malik, in the absence of Naveen Kumar, became the first raider to 100 raid points in PKL 11 while also keeping his team alive in the game. Led by Ashu, the Dabang Delhi KC worked hard to mount a comeback, but the Puneri Paltan defensive duo of Aman and Abinesh showed their class with multiple Super Tackles to their name. Aman completed a well-earned High 5 in the first half itself, as the score read 13-21 in favour of the Puneri Paltan at the end of the first half. Ashu Malik went on to complete his Super 10- his ninth in 10 games - at the start of the second half but the support was lacking from his teammates. In comparison, the young guns of Puneri Paltan worked together to keep their team in the hunt for the win. The Dabang Delhi KC defenders seemed to fall flat on the night, with the Puneri Paltan inflicting a second All Out on the Dabang Delhi KC entering the final 10 minutes of the match. Just when the match seemed to slip from the hands of Dabang Delhi KC, Ashu Malik turned up the heat. His Super Raid got Sanket Sawant, Mohit Goyat and Aman off the mat, also inflicting an All Out on the Puneri Paltan, turning the tide of the match. And when it mattered, the Dabang Delhi KC defenders stepped to the fore. With two minutes remaining, the deficit was reduced to just one point when Pankaj Mohite was successfully tackled by Gaurav Chillar, making for an interesting end to the clash. In the penultimate raid of the match, Ashu equalized the score by getting Gaurav Khatri off the mat. Eventually, the officials called time on an exciting match that saw Dabang Delhi KC score 15 points in the final 10 minutes to seal the tie. (ANI)
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