PKL: Dabang Delhi end Jaipur Pink Panthers' winning run

PATNA: With hosts Patna Pirates scheduled to take on the Haryana Steelers on Wednesday, the turnout at Patliputra Indoor Stadium, on a warm Monday evening, was sparse.
However, the lack of spectatord did not prove to be a deterrent for Dabang Delhi as they halted Jaipur Pink Panthers’ unbeaten run in the seventh edition of the Pro Kabaddi League by 11 points (35-24). It was their fourth win this season and Jaipur’s first loss in five matches.
Initially the more aggressive of the two teams, the Pink Panthers captain Deepak Hooda drew first blood when he scored through an immaculate raid in the first minute to send Iranian defender Saeid Ghaffari out of the mat.Looking to maintain their unbeaten run, the table-toppers continued to put pressure on the Delhi defence with Deepak Narwal and Ajinkya Pawar scoring with their raids.
Reduced to four players on the mat by the seventh minute, the team from the Capital opted for an official timeout and the move paid immediate dividends for Joginder Narwal & Co. Pawar succumbed to an excellent thigh hold from Ghaffari.
While all-rounder Chandran Ranjit made it 9-9 for Delhi, the impressive Naveen Kumar took out Pink Panthers’ Sunil Siddhgavali to put Delhi ahead. Even the introduction of the experienced Nilesh Salunke for the Pink Panthers proved futile with Delhi completing a terrific turnaround in a matter of minutes to land their first all-out.
Paltan register second win on the trot: Puneri Paltan emerged victorious by two points (33-31) against Gujarat Fortunegiants in a thrilling encounter. Looking to land their second win in as many outings, the Paltan were the first off the blocks as defender Girish Ernak pulled off a superb body block to kickstart the scoring.