Kabaddi
PKL 2021: Table toppers Dabang Delhi held to a draw by Tamil Thalaivas
Dabang Delhi were held to a 30-30 draw by Tamil Thalaivas in match number 27 of PKL 2021.
Naveen Goyat completed his fifth straight Super 10 of PKL 2021
The late heroics of Sandeep Narwal saved Dabang Delhi's unbeaten run of season eight. The PKL universe was amazed of witnessing the third tie of matchday 11. 'The Naveen Express' once again showcased a raiding masterclass scoring 15 raid points in the 30-30 scoreline.
As it happened........
Both teams entered on the mat claiming match-points in their previous games. Hence both coaches did not intend to make any changes in the winning combination, leaving out big names like Ajay Thakur and K Prapanjan on the sidelines. Thalaivas introduced their charming yellow away kit for the first time this season.
Tamil Thalaivas captain Surjeet won the coin toss and showed a gesture by intending to touch the veteran Joginder Narwal's feet. The first half commenced with a lot of raid points being scored as the tackle point of the match was scored in the eighth minute by Tamil Thalaivas. Late awakened defence saved Dabang Delhi from conceding all-out. The rest of the work was done by Naveen forcing Tamil Thalaivas on verge of all-out with a two-point lead at the halftime whistle. He contributed 11 out 11 raid points scored by Delhi completing his fifth Super 10 of the season.
The Capital based franchise kick-started the second half forcing all-out on Tamil Thalaivas. Vijay Malik's strike in the 23rd minute was the first Non-Naveen raid point from Delhi. Three super tackles in a flash retrieved Thalaivas' stand levelling the scoreline while three minutes remained on the clock. And the scoreline remained equal at the final whistle.
Takeaways from the clash
Naveen Kumar Goyat seems an unstoppable raiding force in this season so far. Tamil Thalaivas joins other teams who failed to derail 'The Naveen Express'. Naveen has now achieved Super 10s from every game he could play. Dabang Delhi's tally of 17 raid points had only 2 points contribution from others apart from Naveen.
Tamil Thalaivas chased Dabang Delhi throughout the game and gained a tiny lead in dying minutes. Thalaivas had no answers for Naveen initially but managed to slow down the striker in the crucial time. Right corner Sagar Rathee was the biggest takeaway for Thalaivas who achieved a High 5 scoring three super tackles with a 100% strike rate.
