Pro Kabaddi 2019, Puneri Paltan vs Dabang Delhi: Record performance by Delhi dashes playoff hopes of Pune
Dabang Delhi notched up the most points by a single team at the season seven of Pro Kabaddi 2019 to completely destroy Puneri Paltan 60-40 in Panchkula on Sunday. The result meant that Pune will no longer be able to qualify for the playoffs.
Naveen Kumar was the hero of the night after gathering a staggering sum of 19 points in 22 raids. Chandran Ranjit also added 12 points to his name, courtesy a grand game.
Both Ravinder Pahal and Balasaheb Jadhav from Delhi and Pune respectively made a mark on the defensive front after picking up 6 tackle points each.
Chandran Ranjit inaugurated the night with a swift bonus point, followed by which, Naveen Kumar, the epitome of brilliance, picked up two commendable points for the Delhi-based franchise.
An impressive raid by Darshan Kadian opened the account for Puneri Paltan, who were also playing their do-or-die battle. Kumar, who was on fire, initiated a two-point raid, which was then challenged by Pune. However, the review turned up unsuccessful upon inspection.
Just seven minutes into the cracking clash, Pune suffered an ill-fated all-out, which put Delhi ahead at 13-4.
Kumar slowed down a bit after Balasaheb Jadhav inflicted a power-packed Super Tackle on him. But he was quick to be retained, courtesy Ravinder Pahal's top-class tackle.
A second all-out greeted the orange-white-clad men in the 13th minute itself, which increased the already massive score difference to 24-11, in Delhi's favour.
Kumar then completed his 17th Super 10 with sheer brilliance and that too in the very first half. Manjeet contributed points for the hapless Pune like a lone warrior since nobody from his side seemed to make a mark.
The conclusion of the first half saw Delhi lead at 30-16. Anup Kumar's Pune required some miracle to make a comeback in the possible one-sided encounter.
Manjeet's successful running hand-touch on Anil Kumar kickstarted the second-half, which was then followed by Ranjit's splendid two-pointer.
Pune's Amit Kumar's controversial multiple-pointer raid, when reviewed by Delhi, was declared legitimate, which thereby reduced the huge score difference to 34-19.
Nitin Tomar, the second costliest player in the Season 7 auctions, put up an all-round game for Pune, besides Manjeet.
Two back-to-back amazing Super Tackles by Jadhav and Tomar on Naveen and Ranjit respectively didn't do much to reduce the big score difference.
A third all-out for the Pune-based franchise put them in deeper crisis. Pune really struggled to stay afloat against the table-toppers of the points table. Pahal, who produced a killer game, completed his High 5 in wonderful fashion.
Soon enough, another surprising all-out was conceded by the feeble squad of Pune. Sushant Sail's two-pointer in the dying minutes of the match didn't do anything to alter the fortunes but surely increased his confidence level. Chandran Ranjit too reached the ten-point mark with ease.
Eventually, the one-sided battle came to an end as Dabang Delhi defeated Puneri Paltan by a huge margin of 60-40, thereby becoming the first team of PKL 2019 to breach the 60-point mark.
Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on Dream 11 Kabaddi Prediction, news, points table, schedule, Pro Kabaddi Results , and fantasy tips.