Premier Handball League: Maharashtra Ironmen and Telugu Talons play a tie

Maharashtra Ironmen and Telugu Talons ended in a draw as the scores read 30 all by the end of the game. This was only the second-ever draw in the Premier Handball League.

The statistically two best teams the Maharashtra Ironmen and Telugu Talons took each other on in a highly enticing match in the Premier Handball League.

Both the Talons and Ironmen had already secured their berths in the semi-finals of the PHL even before the game.

Dr. Sunil Kumar, coach of the Ironmen rested key members in the game as Chiseliov and Kiani started the game on the bench, while Naveen Deshwal was left out of the matchday squad. While the Ironmen rested their star players Fernando Nunes put out a full-strength starting 7 for this game.

Despite the Ironmen resting their key squad members, they started the game swiftly as Manjeet Kumar, Sumit Kumar, and Sumit Ghanghas led the charge for their team in the first half. The Talons after going behind brought on Iaroslav Alexandr Shabanov who started turning the tide in favour of Telugu.

Manjeet and Sumit Ghanghas especially were on-song and extended the Ironmen’s lead. Shabanov was playing brilliantly but was not being supported well by his teammates. The first half ended 16-11 in favour of Maharashtra Ironmen.

Telugu came out for the second half with a full-strength starting line-up, which signaled their intentions of making this game a much more competitive one.

Thanks to Davinder Singh Bhullar, Naseeb Singh, and Raghu Kumara, the Talons were able to get back into the game.

The Ironmen however were able to score consistently as Mohit Punia and Vijay Thakur started seeing more of the ball which ensured Maharashtra Ironmen held on to their healthy lead.

While Mohit Kumar was playing well for Telugu, he was floundering to find the back of the net as consistently. 

Nunes brought on Kailash Patel for the final quarter of the game. He had an instant impact as he scored back-to-back goals to cut short the Ironmen’s lead and inspired his team to mount a late comeback.

Davinder Singh Bhullar and Naseeb Singh found their attacking rhythm soon after as they cut down Maharashtra’s lead to 2 goals going into the last couple of minutes of the game.

The game, however, had a dramatic finish as Rahul Nain in the last minute of the game, which was followed by a goal by Kailash Patel with virtually the last throw of the ball, which meant the Talons had equalized and the game ended immediately after. 

The scores read 30-30 at the end resulting in a second tie of the tournament.

Rajasthan Patriots secured victory against Garvit Gujarat despite a slow start to the game. The game ended 32-31 in favour of the Patriots.

Garvit Gujarat still had a chance to make it to the semi-finals on the other hand, Rajasthan Patriots had already booked their spot for the next stage of the Premier Handball League.

Both teams started the game on the front foot. Mohit Ghanghas, Tarun Thakur, and Shuja Ur Rehman gave a fast start to Gujarat while Dmirty Kireev, Mohit Ghanghas, and Hardev Singh of the Patriots made sure that their team was matching Gujarat blow for blow.

Thanks to Harender Singh and Captain Avin Khatkar, Gujarat was able to establish an early lead in the game. By the 15th minute mark, the scores read 9-5 in favour of Garvit Gujarat.

However, Gujarat was rampant in attack as Avin Khatkar, Tarun Thakur and Harender Singh Nain were making sure their team held onto their lead. Soon after the half came to an end as the scores read 18-14 in favour of Garvit Gujarat.

Rajasthan Patriots started the second half in blistering fashion. Mohit Ghanghas, Amninder Singh, and Hardev Singh were powering the Patriots going forward.

Going into the last 10 minutes of the game the scores were level again as Harender Singh Nain scored for Gujarat. A dramatic end to the game was set up. Both teams were attacking expertly but were unable to build on their respective leads and were evenly matched. By the 55th minute mark of the game, the scores read 28 all.

The Patriots, however, were able to establish a slender lead thanks to Sumit Kumar and Manish Malik, going into the last minute of the game the scores read 31-30 in favour of the Rajasthan Patriots.

The Patriots somehow managed to hold onto their 1-goal lead as the game came to an end soon after with the scores reading 32-31 in favour of the Patriots.