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Home team Telugu Titans, who are yet to win a single match in Season 7, were desperate to win the face-off with Dabang Delhi, who were all ready to play their first match of PKL 2019. Siddharth Desai, who failed to make a mark in his first two matches, looked for redemption.
Delhi had a golden chance to win the clash, having stalwart players like Meraj Sheykh, Ravinder Pahal and Season 6 prodigy, Naveen Kumar. Read to find out how the anticipated battle proceeded.
Starting 7s
Telugu Titans: Siddharth Desai, Abozar Mighani (c), Vishal Bhardwaj, Farhad Milaghardan, C. Arun, Suraj Desai, Amit Kumar
Dabang Delhi K.C: Naveen Kumar, Vishal Mane, Ravinder Pahal. Joginder Narwal (c), Anil Kumar, Meraj Sheykh, Chandran Ranjit
Toss
Dabang Delhi won the toss and chose the court.
Siddharth "Bahubali" Desai's sibling, Suraj Desai, went out for the Titans' first raid and successfully attempted a two-pointer. Sheykh, the Iranian wall, fished out a bonus point for Dabang Delhi.
Naveen Kumar, the excellent youngster, who made a debut for Delhi last season, stepped in the opponent's mat and pitched in a raid and a bonus point for his squad.
Going neck-to-neck in the eighth minute of the match, the score was tilted in Delhi's favour at 6-4. Suraj, from the Titans, went in for the raid and skillfully managed two points, yet again.
Naveen continued his top-class game and was quick to score points. Siddharth, who did not stand up to his expectations in the past two games, was looking more confident on the mat, notching up his game bit by bit.
It was a heated battle and both teams kept on scoring consistently. The Titans, as the minutes passed, were reduced to just three players on the mat. To save the drowning ship, they performed a applause-worthy super tackle.
At half-time, the scoreboard read 13-12, with the Dabangs of Delhi leading with just one point. Right after the half-time, Vishal Bhardwaj and Abozar Mighani from the Titans super-tackled Meraj and revived Siddharth.
In the 23rd minute of the match, Abozar took a review but unfortunately lost it. On the verge of getting an all-out, Suraj stepped in the rival's court and pulled off a triumphant 2-pointer.
Naveen, giving us a full-blown glimpse of his Season 6 performance, completed his first super-ten of PKL 7 with pizzazz. He put up a laudable game throughout the whole encounter.
With just twelve minutes remaining in the match, both teams had an equal total. Siddharth, who targeted Pahal throughout the match, once again slipped out of his clutches and scored.
In the 30th minute of the match, Delhi claimed a silly review, which they, just like the Titans, lost. Ravinder once again made a rookie error and dived at the wrong moment, only to be sent out of the mat by Siddharth Desai.
Suraj scored the first super raid of the match, including an extra bonus point. On the verge of suffering an all-out, Joginder ankle-holded Farhad and scored a super tackle.
Titans, losing their hard-earned lead, were left between a rock and a hard place. With just 4 minutes left in the match, the scoreboard displayed 28-32, leaning towards Delhi.
Once again reduced to just three players, Suraj went in for a raid and returned victoriously. With 18 points in just a single match, he surpassed his brother's record of scoring the most number of points in debut match.
Siddharth, sitting outside the mat, looked anxious, waiting for his comeback. The most close-called match of the season, Dabang Delhi emerged victorious, with the score 34-33. Suraj was suspiciously substituted in the dying seconds of the match, providing the Dabangs with a massive advantage.
It was heartbreaking for the Titans, who suffered their third consecutive loss of the season. Looking onto the brighter side, the Desai brothers put up a marvelous game throughout the face-off. However, the defense needs to be taken care of.
Talking about Dabang Delhi, they were commendable against the Titans. With Naveen Kumar pitching in points effortlessly, the team played very well. The defenders also did a wonderful job, helping the team win their first match of the season.
