Premier Handball League: Maharashtra Ironmen, Telugu Talons register wins

The first game on Matchday 7 of the Premier Handball League between Maharashtra Ironmen and Garvit Gujarat ended 35-30 in favour of the Ironmen. Captain of the Ironmen Igor Chiseliov showcased his brute force in the game to help his team come away with the victory.

Match 13 of the inaugural season of the Premier Handball League witnessed table-toppers Maharashtra Ironmen take on Garvit Gujarat in a thrilling clash.

Garvit Gujarat had a rapid start to the game as Tarun Thakur, Mohit Ghanghas, and Tuliboev Mukhtor were in fine knick and were scoring freely in the opening minutes of the game.

Farhad Shafiei Alavijeh in the Garvit Gujarat goal was in form also as he made some stunning saves in the opening exchanges of the game to help his team establish a lead.

However, Igor Chiseliov, Aman, and Jalal Kiani slowly started stringing passes together to create chances. They also found their finishing touch and equalized soon after.

Soon after, the first half ended as the scores read 16-17 in favour of Gujarat.

Maharashtra Ironmen had a blistering start to the second half, thanks to their captain Igor Chiseliov who was playing like a man possessed and was bullying the Gujarat players as he went on a scoring spree.

The Ironmen had established a lead in the opening minutes of the second half as Gujarat was looking to find a way back into the game and contain Chiseliov.

Despite the best efforts of Shuja Ur Rehman and Tuliboev Mukhtor whose goals made sure that Ironmen did not establish an unassailable lead over Gujarat, they were struggling to bridge the gap. Halfway through the second period, the scores read 27-25 in favour of the Ironmen.

Kiani also came on in the second half with a point to prove as he and Chiseliov were decimating Gujarat’s defences. Garvit Gujarat were slowly able to establish a foothold in the second half but their efforts were in vain as the free-scoring Ironmen were showcasing their ferocity in attack. Soon after the game ended 35-30 in favour of the Maharashtra Ironmen.

Telugu Talons defeated the Rajasthan Patriots in the second game of the day. After a slow start to the game, the Talons put on a masterful display in the second half to come away with the victory.

The Patriots started the game brilliantly as Mohit Ghanghas, Hardev Singh and Dmitry Kireev looked on song as they helped Rajasthan establish a healthy lead at the start of the game.

However, thanks to Naseeb, Anil Khudia, and Vishal Hadiya the Talons came roaring back into the game as they started finding the back of the net consistently.

By the 15th minute mark, the scores were level at 6 all. The Rajasthan captain and goalkeeper Atul Kumar was in fine knick also as he made some crucial saves to help his team retake the lead going into the second half, while Kireev was putting in a masterful performance in attack for the Patriots. Soon after the first period came to a close as the scores read 13-14 in favor of Rajasthan Patriots.

Atul Kumar of the Patriots struggled to get on the field for the second half due to some swelling just above his right eye after he got struck by a shot. Ramesh Goadara deputized for the Patriots captain in goal for the second half.

The Telugu Talons came out for the second half determined to cut short the slender lead the Patriots held. The Talons' star player Davinder Singh Bhullar finally started asserting his presence in the game as he scored back-to-back goals to put his team in the lead.

Bhullar’s goals seemingly inspired his teammates to find their cutting edge in attack as the Talons' attack became lethal from then on. Anil Khudia, Vishal Hadiya, and Kailash Patel were supporting Bhullar flawlessly to extend the Talons' lead.

By the 45th minute of the game, the scores read 23-19 in favour of Telugu. Thanks to Kireev and Mohit Ghanghas the Patriots found a way back into the game as they worked together to cut short the deficit to make it 2 goal game going into the last 10 minutes as a dramatic finish beckoned.

The Talons continued scoring freely, while the Patriots were unable to score goals in the crucial final minutes of the game. Soon after the game ended 28-24 in favour of the Telugu Talons.

Davinder Singh Bhullar of the Telugu Talons was adjudged to be the best player of the game for his inspirational performance during the match.