Calicut Heroes lock horns with Delhi Toofans in the PVL 2024 final
Delhi Toofans have been the surprise package but the Calicut Heroes go in as favorites in the final of PVL season 3.
Image courtesy: Prime Volleyball League
In what has been a truly enthralling season of the Prime Volleyball League, the finals will be a showdown between Calicut Heroes and debutants Delhi Toofans on the 21st of March here in Chennai.
In their debut season, the Delhi Toofans have stunned everyone by beating the defending champions Ahmedabad Defenders in a thrilling 5-set semi-final and will now be aiming to go all the way. They had won seven consecutive games in the league phase and even though they were 2-1 down after three sets, they spectacularly won the last two sets to book their spot in the final.
The hero of the semi-final, Lazar Dodic will be the one everyone has their eyes on. With a man-of-the-match performance in the eliminator, he will be Toofans' biggest threat in attack while Anand will look to hold the defense steady. Santhosh, the local boy would want to give the fans another memorable performance. He is the league's leading scorer with 148 points currently.
Also important will be the services of Columbian Daniel Aponzo, with a league-leading 25 blocks and 27 rebounds as Toofans will look to his experience and expertise to navigate through pressure moments.
On the other hand, the Calicut Heroes booked a direct spot in the finals by finishing atop the Super 5 with two wins and two losses in four games.
Although they did have a small bump when they lost a 2-0 lead against Ahmedabad Defenders to eventually lose 3-2, they must have written that defeat off whilst taking the lessons from the game.
Ukkra Pandian, Shon T John, and skipper Chirag Yadav are the key to Heroes' gameplan. Their libero Mukesh Kumar will be key in maintaining a good defensive base from which they can build their attack from.
Jerome Vinith will be the Heroes' biggest attacking output and with 135 attacking points already this year, he will be looking forward to adding a lot more to that tally and ensuring Heroes get their hands on the trophy.
In big finals, pressure is undoubtedly going to play a major role and it is then stars are born. Let us see which star shines the brightest on the 21st as these two excellent teams set out to play the final of the 3rd season of PVL!