Naveen ‘Express’ Kumar and Iranian import Meraj Sheyk’s exceptional raiding enabled table-topper Dabang Delhi to bounce back from its loss to Haryana Steelers and record an emphatic 50-34 win over Tamil Thalaivas in the ProKabaddi League at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here on Sunday.
The alert Naveen and the athletic Meraj stole 17 and 12 points respectively as Dabang posted its 11th win to bolster its position atop the table.
Dabang gained the upper hand, having Thalaivas all out within eight minutes. It tightened the grip further when Thalaivas was all out for a second time with two minutes to go for the half-time.
The change of sides did not help the southern outfit, which suffered its third all out within three minutes of resumption.
Naveen and Meraj steered their team to a 20-point lead with nine minutes left. While Naveen depended on his speed, Meraj used his acrobatic skills to fetch spectacular points through kicks and touches.
The Iranian impressed by slipping out of opponents’ tackles to score valuable points, including a three-pointer when he ousted Ajeet, Yashwant Bishnoi and Sagar.
Thalaivas’ chief raider Rahul Chaudhuri and V. Ajith Kumar were left frustrated without enough support from teammates.
Bengal Warriors beat Puneri Paltan 42-39 in a thrilling contest to secure its seventh victory.
The results: Dabang Delhi 50 (Naveen 17, Meraj 12, Vijay 5) bt Tamil Thalaivas 34 (Rahul 14, Ajith 9); Bengal Warriors 42 (Maninder Singh 10, Mohd. Nabibakhsh 6, Sukesh Hegde 6) bt Puneri Paltan 39 (Pankaj Mohite 11, Manjeet 10).
