UP Yoddhas produced a solid performance to beat Dabang Delhi KC 28-23 and begin their campaign in Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season 11 on a positive note in Hyderabad, on Monday.
UP Yoddhas kicked off proceedings when they picked up the first points of the game through a Surender Gill raid.
After that, it was a tight battle, as the two teams traded raids and points without conceding an inch to each other. Neither side could take an outright lead in the early exchanges in what was turning out to be a close battle.
However, as the first half reached the midway stage, Bhavani Rajput took charge as the UP Yoddhas started to settle in, and edged ahead of their opponents.
As the half wore on, Ashu Malik and Nitin Panwar helped Dabang Delhi KC fight back and bring the contest back on level terms. The first half ended with the scores tied at 12-11.
In the second half too, both sides took their time to strike. Both sides were finding it tough to break each other down despite multiple well thought out moves in the early exchanges.
At the end of the first phase of the second half, there was hardly any difference between the two sides. The UP Yoddhas led 18-16, with the game very much on a knife-edge.
By now Naveen Kumar had picked up the baton from Ashu Malik, and was leading the charge for the Dabang Delhi KC as they looked to fight back.
However, in the final phase of play, UP Yoddhas cranked up the intensity as Sahul Kumar inflicted an ALL OUT on Dabang Delhi KC and the raiders also picked up crucial points. That helped the UP Yoddhas take a 5-point lead with less than 5 minutes to go.
