Dabang Delhi produced a performance that not many had expected from the seventh-placed team to condemn Bengaluru Bulls to their 4th consecutive loss. The loss also means that the Bengaluru franchise have the dubious record for the worst home leg defeat as the Bulls hurtled to a massive loss when the side from the capital gave them a 40-20 hiding. Bulls are now almost out of contention as they have just three games left in Pro Kabaddi season 4.
Bengaluru Bulls started with a different strategy and it wasn’t Rohit Kumar taking the first raid but Yogesh Hooda. Having failed in the tournament for their over dependence on Rohit Kumar, this effort was long called for. For most part of the first half, Hooda along with Pawan Sehrawat handled raiding duties for the team.
But the crowd reserved its loudest cheer for Rohit Kumar every time he came on to take a raid. Kumar, who was stepping in for an injured Surender Nada as the skipper of the side, was staring at an ignominy of becoming the captain of the side that would lose all their home games. Probably this played on the raider’s mind as he looked completely out of sorts in the whole game.
Both teams started on a slow and defensive note and points were hard to come by as the score crawled to 6-8 in favor of the Dabang Delhi in the first 17 minutes of the game. That’s when Kashiling Adake decided to jump to form. With just three minutes left for the halftime whistle and not much separating the two teams, Adake made a super raid and left the Bulls with a single man on the court.
The All Out followed soon and suddenly Delhi’s lead had bloated up to 8 points as in no time the men in blue raced to 14 points. Selvamani added to the lead when he completed a successful do-or-die raid. In just three minutes, the pendulum had swung in Delhi’s favor and the Bulls walked back with tense faces when the half-time whistle was blown.
Half Time Bengaluru Bulls – 8 Dabang Delhi 15
Adake celebrated his return to form with a point with a tackle just after the break, but it was Captain Meraj Sheykh who took all the attention off him by inflicting a super tackle as well an all out just like Adake did in the first half to put the Bulls on the back foot. Rohit Kumar’s form that had earned the green armband deserted him as he just couldn’t score points for the Bulls.
With a 15 points lead in the pocket, Delhi were beginning to play the waiting game and the match saw a lot of empty raids. Bengaluru Bulls had to play out of their skins to make a match of it and they attacked continuously. Dabang defence, however, was too good for Bengaluru raiders who haven’t had much of experience in the 4th season.
Meraj Sheykh continued his good night as he got two points in the 34th minute as two defenders were found off the court in their attempt to tackle the Iranian. The agony was piled further on the Bulls as they were inflicted at the receiving end of the third all out of the match.
There was no comeback from the Bengaluru Bulls much to the disappointment and chagrin of the home crowd. If Rohit Kumar didn’t click for the Bulls in the raiding department, even Mohit Chhillar had a day to forget in the defence. His one on one duel with Kashiling Adake saw the Delhi raider come out on top. In the absence of Surender Nada, Chhillar was expected to don the mantle of the leader in the defence. However, that was not to be as Chhillar could only see the Delhi raiders sneak raid points from beneath his nose.
Having ran 20 points ahead of the Bulls, the seventh placed team tried out some young faces in the raiding department ahead of their next tie against the rampaging Telugu Titans. For Delhi, Kashiling Adake’s return to form was the biggest positive from the game as the man from Sangli for the first time got a super 10 in season 4.
Full Time Bengaluru Bulls – 20 Dabang Delhi 40
