Ravi Dalal’s remarkable raids ensured Bengal Warriors overcame the disappointment of Sunday night and registered its maiden victory in the fourth season of ProKabaddi League by overhauling Dabang Delhi 31-23 here on Monday.
With three minutes to go, Warriors enjoyed a slender three-point advantage and it looked like yet another match would go down the wire in the first week of the PKL. However, Dalal’s three-pointer in a super raid sealed the fate of the match as Nilesh Shinde’s team took an unassailable lead.
At the stroke of the final whistle, Warriors managed to dismiss the Delhi team, playing its maiden game of the season, for the second time in the game. Earlier, in the second half, Dalal gave the major breakthrough to his team by ousting Delhi’s Meraj Sheykh.
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The Iranian had saved his team thrice from getting all out since the 10th minute of the game. However, the star player was tricked by Dalal in the 29th minute. Warriors’ captain Nilesh Shinde was at his usual best. Had Sheykh received some support from his teammates in the latter half, Delhi could well have been able to open its campaign with maximum points.
The result:
Bengal Warriors 31 (Ravi Dalal 6, Nilesh Shinde 4) bt Dabang Delhi 23 (Meraj Sheykh 9, Anil Kumar 3).
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Patna Pirates 30 (Surjeet Singh 7, Pardeep Narwal 7, Dharmaraj Cheralathan 5) bt Puneri Paltan 24 (Nitin Tomar 7, Deepak Hooda 6).