Bengaluru Bulls on Monday clinched an unlikely 39-39 tie with Dabang Delhi in a nail-biting contest in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 7 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
Delhi were in the lead for most part of the match but a late comeback by the Bulls, courtesy Pawan Sehrawat’s 17 points, saw both sides settle for a tie.
Delhi’s Naveen Kumar finished with 14 raid points (his 15th consecutive Super 10) but failed to put in a legal raid in the waning moments of the game to win it for the Delhi. However, Delhi still remain on top of the table with 72 points from 17 matches.
The match was billed as the clash of the league’s best raiders in Delhi’s Naveen Kumar and Pawan Sehrawat of Bulls, but the early minutes proved why both of these raiders were just a significant part of a larger unit in a team sport.
Both Naveen and Sehrawat were sent to the bench with under three minutes left with the scores tied at 36-36. Delhi sniffed victory after a tackle and a raid point gave them a two-point cushion going into the final minute.
But a careless tackle by Vishal Mane, followed by Naveen’s failure to cross the white line to complete a legal raid, helped Bulls clinch an unlikely tie.
Meanwhile, at the same venue before the match, Haryana Steelers defeated Patna Pirates 39-34. Though Pardeep Narwal scored stunning 17 raid points, he failed to clinch a victory for his side.
The Steelers witnessed a collective effort from both their raiders and defenders as Vikas Kandola and Prashant Kumar Rai picked up 13 and eight points.
Despite the loss, Patna moved a place ahead in the team points-table to be at the ninth spot with 39 points, keeping their playoffs hopes alive. On the other hand, Haryana maintain their third place with 59 points.
(With inputs from IANS)