PWL 2026: UP Dominators stun Delhi Dangal Warriors

UP Dominators produced a stirring comeback from 4-1 down to defeat Delhi Dangal Warriors 5-4 in Match 7 of the Pro Wrestling League 2026, at the Noida Indoor Stadium.

After Delhi surged ahead through a strong opening led by Anastasiya Alpyeyeva and a dominant win from their captain Sujeet Kalkal, UP Dominators turned the tie on its head through U20 World Wrestling Champion Tapsya Gahlawat, skipper Nisha Dahiya, and a decisive final-bout masterclass from two times World Championship medalist Antim Panghal.

Gahlawat was named Player of the Match for igniting the comeback, while Anastasiya Alpyeeva (Delhi Dangal Warriors) earned Fighter of the Match honours for her commanding performance earlier in the tie.

Speaking at the post match press conference, UP Dominators Captain Nisha Dahiya said, “Today’s bout was quite tough because my opponent is a strong wrestler and a recent national champion in the 62 kg category. It was a very close contest, and I gave my 100 percent. I believe I can still perform better by working on my mistakes. Minor injuries are part of the sport. As a team, we’ll focus on correcting errors and sticking to our own game in the upcoming matches.”

Sujeet Kalkal, Captain Delhi Dangal Warriors said, “Even though the result didn’t go in our favour, I’m happy that it was personally a good day for me and I was able to score the most points. My opponent was one of India’s best wrestlers, so wins and losses are part of the sport. Our focus now is the match against Mumbai on the 27th, where we’ll give our best effort and aim for a strong result.”

Delhi Dangal Warriors seized early control in the 86kg men’s contest as Vafaeipour Hadi Bakhtiar used effective par terre wrestling to defeat Mykhailov Vasyl 7–4, building a first-period cushion that held firm despite a late UP push. The advantage doubled in the 76kg women’s contest, where Anastasiya Alpyeeva recovered from conceding an early takedown to dominate Ojo Damola Hannah 11–2 with a decisive takedown-and-turn sequence in the closing phase.

Momentum stayed with Delhi in a tactical 74kg men’s tie as Azerbaijan’s Turan Bayramov remained patient and disciplined to edge Abhimanyu Mandwal 3-0, extending his unbeaten run and pushing Delhi to a 3-0 lead.

UP finally found their foothold through Tapsya Gahlawat in the 57kg women’s category. The U20 world champion wrestled with composure, combining an early push-out and activity point with sharp second-period takedowns to register an 8-2 win and put UP on the board.

Delhi responded emphatically in the 65kg men’s category, where captain and U23 World Champion Sujeet Kalkal delivered a statement performance. Kalkal overwhelmed Vishal Kali Raman with relentless attacks, scoring repeatedly through takedowns and exposure sequences and accelerating during the Power Minute to seal a dominant technical superiority victory, stretching Delhi’s lead to 4-1.

The turning point arrived in the 57kg men’s contest. Rahul Deswal staged a strong comeback after conceding early push-outs, swinging the bout with a sharp takedown-and-exposure sequence in Period 1 before sealing it in the Power Minute with a decisive four-point takedown to beat Shubham Kaushik 8-5 and keep UP alive.

UP’s resurgence gathered force in the heavyweight contest, where Jaspooran Singh controlled the centre to defeat Ronak 3-1, cutting the deficit to one. Captain Nisha Dahiya then delivered under pressure in the 62kg women’s contest, edging a high-intensity contest against Anjli 9-5 with sustained attacking wrestling to level the tie at 4-4.

With the match on the line, Olympian Antim Panghal produced a commanding performance in the decisive 53kg women’s contest. Panghal imposed her authority from the start, striking repeatedly with clean takedowns and accelerating in the closing phase with a high-value takedown and exposure sequence. Despite a late push-out from Saarika, Panghal’s relentless offence brought the match to an early close by technical superiority, completing UP Dominators’ remarkable comeback and sealing the full two points and moving to the top of the table.