Pro Kabaddi: Delhi ride on Meraj’s brilliance to beat Bengaluru Bulls 38-30

DABANG DELHI K.C. beat Bengaluru Bulls 38-30 at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on Wednesday. The two captains Meraj Sheykh and Rohit Kumar were the best performers for their teams with 14 and 13 points respectively.

The Bulls picked up the first point of the evening but it was Delhi that started better of the two teams with the deadly Iranian duo of Sheykh and Abolfazl Maghsodlou looking sharp in attack. It looked like Delhi were about to effect the first All-Out of the game in the 8th minute but a super tackle on Sheykh turned the tide of the encounter.

The Bulls then stormed into a 7-6 lead from being 6-1 down and had momentum on their side all of a sudden. They extended their lead and put behind their slow start to the game completely in the 13th minute by inflicting an All-Out on Delhi to take a 13-7 lead.

Bengaluru skipper Rohit began to look increasingly confident as the half wore on and managed a marvellous two-point raid three minutes before the break to ensure Delhi didn’t eat away too much into their lead. Ajay Kumar helped his captain out in doing so with a successful do-or-die raid moments before the half-time whistle to give Bengaluru an 18-12 lead at the break.

The second period also witnessed Delhi make a strong start but Bengaluru were doing well to maintain their lead primarily through raid points. Sheykh though looked like a man on a mission as he raided successfully in relentless fashion before picking up a two-point raid to effect an All-Out on Bengaluru and tie things up at 23-23 with 12 minutes left to play.

Sheykh then went on to complete his Super 10 in the 35th minute with another two-point raid, and was at it again in his side’s next raid, where he got rid of the two remaining Bengaluru players on the mat to inflict a second All-Out on Bengaluru and open up a 33-25 lead. Delhi saw out the remainder of the game with some strong, smart defending and tactical raiding to win in convincing fashion and hand the Bulls their fifth successive defeat.

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