PKL Season 11: Raiders Devank, Ashu Malik steal the show in Patna Pirates’ tie with Dabang Delhi
Noida: It was an absolute edge-of-the-seat show at the Noida Indoor Stadium, as the Patna Pirates and Dabang Delhi K.C. played out a thrilling 39-39 tie in Match 78 of Season 11 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) on Tuesday. The Dabang Delhi K.C. made a superb comeback in the second half after the Patna Pirates had dominated the game in the first half. For the Patna Pirates, Devank top scored with 15 points, while Deepak got seven and Ankit bagged a Hi-5.
Meanwhile, Ashu Malik continued his brilliant form with yet another Super 10, scoring 11 points, with Ashish adding seven and Naveen Kumar getting six of his own.
Devank and Naveen picked up the first points for their sides, before the in-form Ashu Malik landed a three-point raid, to set the tone for the contest. Both Dabang Delhi and the Patna Pirates were matching each other move for move, in what was an action-packed start. As the half wore on, the two defensive units started to tighten things on either end of the court, giving the likes of Naveen, Ashu, and Devank a tough time. However, Sandeep and Devank went through the gears, and with a little over five minutes left, the Patna Pirates led by six points. Ankit had chipped in with an All Out as the Patna Pirates were starting to pull away.
Dabang Delhi K.C. found it tough to score raids in the final minutes of the first half, as the Patna Pirates marched onto a 10-point lead. Devank completed his 9th Super 10 of the season within the first half and Patna Pirates led 20-10 at the break.
The second move of the second half saw the Patna Pirates land an ALL OUT on the Dabang Delhi K.C. But on the other end, Ashu Malik too had started the half well. The Pirates led by more than 10 points, but Ashu Malik was beginning to go through the gears.
Three points from three raids from Ashu Malik and a bit of support from the defence had brought the Dabang Delhi K.C. right into the contest. Soon enough, the Dabang Delhi K.C. landed an All Out on the Patna Pirates and wrestled away the momentum. With ten minutes to go, the Pirates led by eight points, and Devank had already amassed 14 points.
With seven minutes to go, Ashu completed his 12th Super 10 as the Dabang Delhi K.C. continued to fight on. The Patna Pirates kept the opposition at bay as the clock ticked on, maintaining a healthy lead. A Super Tackle on Ayan and a quick raid from Naveen reduced the lead to a 5-point one, but there were just a couple of minutes left.
Then Ashish turned the game on its head with a three-point Super Raid and the deficit was down to one-point. Dabang Delhi K.C. piled on the pressure on the Patna Pirates, with an All Out, wiping out the deficit and taking a one-point lead with a minute to go.
Shubham Shinde and Devank turned it back in Patna Pirates’ favour as the contest stayed on a knife edge. Eventually, Dabang Delhi K.C. fought back again, as the two sides finished on the same points. The Dabang Delhi K.C. had fought back from a 14-point deficit.