Bengaluru Bulls Vs Dabang Delhi K.c. 08 December 2023

Full-Time
Bengaluru Bulls 31 - 38 Dabang Delhi KC

A well-deserved win for Dabang Delhi KC as they open their account for the season after a poor outing in their first match against the Tamil Thalaivas. Their raiding duo of Naveen Kumar and Ashu Malik troubled the Bulls defense throughout the match, with plenty of errors coming in from the experienced Aman, Saurabh Nandal, and Surjeet Singh.

Support for Bharat Hooda was almost non-existent, with the substitute raiders Sushil and Akshit having to fill in for Vikash and Neeraj, who had really poor games. Bharat returned to form with a Super 10, but a significantly improved outing from the Delhi defense led by a dominant Vishal Bhardwaj meant that he was tackled from time to time and spent plenty of time off the court as well.

It's three successive defeats for the Bulls, and it's not how they envisioned their start to the season. They'll have to shrug it off quickly as they take on the Haryana Steelers tomorrow, and hopefully get their first win of the campaign against another struggling side. However, there's still plenty of kabaddi action in the offing on Friday night, with the Maharashtra derby all set to start in a few minutes.

Click here to switch tabs to catch the complete coverage of that cracker of a contest as I, Shreyas bid you adieu.

2nd Half, 40'
Bengaluru Bulls 31 - 38 Dabang Delhi KC

Vishal with a rare raid point, as the deficit remains at 7. The Bulls need to ensure they don't concede any more points post this. Both teams are content to put in empty raids here and run the clock down, and the match ends, with Dabang Delhi getting their first win of the season, as the Bulls suffer defeat in front of their home fans.

2nd Half, 39'
Bengaluru Bulls 30 - 37 Dabang Delhi KC

4th tackle point for Vishal Bhardwaj as Akshit Kumar always looked uncomfortable in the raid. Barring the yellow card, the Delhi left corner has been completely on point today. The Bulls may have to rethink their strategy here and settle for one point by keeping the deficit down to 7.

2nd Half, 38'
Bengaluru Bulls 30 - 36 Dabang Delhi KC

Himmat Antil pounces on Sushil in a 1v4 situation, and the Bulls' momentum completely derailed after Naveen Kumar's 2-point raid and the timeout. They trail by 5 points, and now, Vishal Bhardwaj comes around to tackle Bharat, and that should be that for Delhi!

2nd Half, 36'
Bengaluru Bulls 30 - 34 Dabang Delhi KC

This is why Naveen Kumar is one of the best raiders in the world of kabaddi. The pressure is on Delhi to deliver, and with all the momentum against him, he absolutely terrorizes Aman with his speed and quick change of direction and induces a false tackle, walking away with a bonus+touch point to restore a 4-point lead.

Timeout called as both coaches look to inspire their teams with a little over four minutes left to play in this match.

2nd Half, 35'
Bengaluru Bulls 30 - 32 Dabang Delhi KC

Bharat with a Super Raid, and this could be the game-changing moment. The Bulls' lead raider pretty much wipes out the entirety of the left side of the Delhi defense, and he certainly appears to be back in form. 

The Bulls are on the charge here, as Sushil follows up with another touch point. They trail only by two points as Delhi is down to three men!

2nd Half, 33'
Bengaluru Bulls 26 - 31 Dabang Delhi KC

Aman has blown hot and cold throughout this match, but at a crucial juncture, he puts in a pitch-perfect ankle hold to send Ashu Malik back to the bench. Bharat then picks up a quick bonus point, and the deficit is now down to 5.

2nd Half, 32'
Bengaluru Bulls 24 - 31 Dabang Delhi KC

Both defenses concede a couple of cheap points post the timeout as Ashu Malik nears his Super 10. Bharat claims a touch on the retreating Himmat Antil, but it's not given by the referees. He reviews the decision! 

As it usually is, this is another close call, and the TV umpire may be forced to side with the on-field decision. Review Unsuccessful.

Time for the 2nd strategic timeout of the match.

2nd Half, 30'
Bengaluru Bulls 23 - 29 Dabang Delhi KC

Do-or-die raid in a Super Tackle situation for Delhi, but Naveen Kumar is too quick for Surjeet Singh, whose poor night continues as he's tagged by a running hand touch. The Bulls are staring at an all-out here, and they get the all-out!

Naveen Kumar gets his Super 10, with an easy touch point on Aman, and Akshit can't do anything as the Bulls go down to one, and Himmat Antil completes the formalities, picking up his 2nd tackle point of the night, helping his side get their second all-out.

2nd Half, 28'
Bengaluru Bulls 20 - 24 Dabang Delhi KC

Dabang Delhi KC have, out of nowhere, regained the momentum after being out of it throughout that phase of play. They've picked up four points without a reply, and now, Bengaluru is reduced to three and stare at an all-out unless the substitute raider Akshit or the defense can pull off something special.

2nd Half, 25'
Bengaluru Bulls 20 - 22 Dabang Delhi KC

Sushil puts in a multi-point raid immediately after the Bulls get the all-out and Ashu Malik gets tackled by Saurabh Nandal immediately after. With Vishal Bhardwaj still on a yellow card, Delhi are down to three, and the Bulls have a chance at another all-out, but this time, Bharat Hooda is too zealous, and Yogesh Dahiya makes no mistake to give Delhi their lead back. Naveen Kumar gets a quick touch point to follow up.

2nd Half, 23'
Bengaluru Bulls 17 - 20 Dabang Delhi KC

All-Out, and this time, the Bulls hit back! Bharat Hooda in a 1v3 situation, and on the second occasion, he makes no mistake, picking up two points. Naveen Kumar was the last man standing for Delhi, and Saurabh Nandal finally joins the party for the Bulls and stops Naveen right in his tracks, with the rest of the defense also quick to pounce.

2nd Half, 21'
Bengaluru Bulls 12 - 19 Dabang Delhi KC

Naveen Kumar begins the second half with a bonus point right under the nose of Bharat in the left-in position, and in fact, he does it twice. Delhi are down to three, and the Bulls have an opening back into this match if they can seize it.

Full-Time
Bengaluru Bulls 12 - 17 Dabang Delhi KC

The home side trail by five points heading into half-time, but it could've been much worse for them as they were trailing 7-17 only a few minutes ago, and make a solid comeback in the final moments of that first half.

The Dabang Delhi's raiding partnership of Naveen Kumar and Ashu Malik caused lots of problems for the Bulls defense, while Delhi's younger and more edgier defensive unit has looked much calmer in comparison, but Vishal Bhardwaj's yellow card could hamper them early in the 2nd half.

Bharat Hooda looks to be in good form, and if he can get some support from Neeraj Narwal or Vikash Khandola, there's no reason why the Bulls can't come back into this match. The Bulls have been a side known for roaring back in the second half, and it'll be interesting to see how they go about it once play restarts.

A yellow card is shown to Vishal Bhardwaj as we reach half-time.

1st Half, 20'
Bengaluru Bulls 12 - 17 Dabang Delhi KC

The Bulls smartly decide to play on the do-or-die raid, and Neeraj Narwal dives in with a double ankle hold to reduce the deficit to 6. Bharat has a do-or-die raid of his own in the final raid of the half, and he is tackled. However, the referees confer, and they are talking about a possible jersey pull offense, but eventually award the point to Delhi.

The Bulls review! They contend that Vishal Bhardwaj pulled Bharat's jersey to help execute the tackle.

Review Successful. Great move from the Bulls, and they end the half on a high.

1st Half, 18'
Bengaluru Bulls 10 - 17 Dabang Delhi KC

Aman strikes, and the Bulls make a Super Tackle. Aman finally puts in an ankle hold with some conviction and Ashu Malik has no chance of escaping there. Bharat Hooda is revived as a result, and he immediately scores another point, and suddenly the Bulls are within striking distance,

1st Half, 17'
Bengaluru Bulls 7 - 17 Dabang Delhi KC

The Dabang Delhi defense is firing today! Vishal Bhardwaj gets his 2nd tackle point of the night with a well-timed chain tackle to get rid of Vikash Khandola. Saurabh Nandal then overruns Naveen Kumar trying to blindside him, concedes another easy point, and Delhi are running away with this.

1st Half, 14'
Bengaluru Bulls 7 - 14 Dabang Delhi KC

Aman has made a poor start to this match, and concedes another cheap point with a tentative ankle hold attempt. Bharat is keeping the Bulls in the game, however, and is quick to get two touch points immediately after the all-out. However, Naveen Kumar comes out of nowhere with a wonderful thigh hold, and sends the Bulls' best raider back to the bench.

1st Half, 12'
Bengaluru Bulls 5 - 12 Dabang Delhi KC

First all-out of the match, and it goes Delhi's way. Naveen Kumar easily gets one point in a 1v2 situation, and Himmat Antil with a quality block to immobilize Sushil and get the game's first all-out for his side.

1st Half, 10'
Bengaluru Bulls 4 - 7 Dabang Delhi KC

Bengaluru Bulls play on the Do-or-die raid with the Super Tackle on, and it is a challenge for Ashu with three proper defenders on the mat. However, he seems to be up for anything today, and Saurabh Nandal's mistimed challenge makes his job easy. 

The Bulls have a do-or-die raid of their own, and the Delhi defense don't mind giving the substitute Sushil an easy bonus point, with an all-out opportunity waiting for them when they raid. 

The whistle blows and it's time for the first strategic timeout of the match. Delhi has been the better side so far and are on the cusp of effecting an all-out.

1st Half, 8'
Bengaluru Bulls 3 - 6 Dabang Delhi KC

Dabang Delhi get the first Do-or-die raid, and Ashu Malik keeps his cool to tag Surjeet Singh in the dying seconds of the raid. Vikash Khandola couldn't do the same for the Bulls as the Delhi defense do well to avoid making a rash tackle. Bulls down to three now.

1st Half, 6'
Bengaluru Bulls 3 - 4 Dabang Delhi KC

1st tackle point for Dabang Delhi, and it's Vishal Bhardwaj who comes in with a strong block from the left corner to usher Neeraj Narwal off the court. Both teams content to put in empty raids post that. A couple of crucial do-or-die raids coming up.

1st Half, 4'
Bengaluru Bulls 3 - 3 Dabang Delhi KC

Surjeet Singh puts a meaty block to tackle Meetu off the court. However, Ashu levels the score for Delhi by targeting Bharat. Both teams have been clear with their plans in targeting the raiders of the other teams.

1st Half, 2'
Bengaluru Bulls 2 - 2 Dabang Delhi KC

It's Delhi who strike first, and who else but the Naveen Express! Aman is teased into making an ankle hold, and Naveen escapes with ease. Also gets a bonus point for his troubles. At the other end, Bharat has an easy job getting away from an advanced tackle close to the mid-line. He follows that up with with a big scalp, he gets Naveen Kumar! Good start to the match this.

Dabang Delhi KC win the toss and choose court. It's the Bulls who will raid first. Vikash Khandola to start things off.

The teams are on the mat as everyone rises for the national anthem.

Here are three player battles that will go a long away in determining the fate of this match:

Still confused over who to captain or vice-captain in your Dream11 teams? Take a peek at Sportskeeda's Dream11 prediction for the match:

Starting Lineups

Bengaluru Bulls: Saurabh Nandal (C), Aman, Bharat, Neeraj Narwal, Vikash Khandola, Surjeet Singh, and Vishal Lather.

Dabang Delhi KC: Naveen Kumar (C), Ashu Malik, Vishal Bhardwaj, Meetu Mahender, Himmat Antil, Mohit, and Yogesh Dahiya.

Interestingly, both teams make no changes to their starting seven from their previous match, and that is quite surprising, especially in the case of Dabang Delhi. One would've thought they'd prefer having some more experience in their defensive unit, but they seem to be backing their youngsters, and they'll be desperate that the faith pays off.

Hello and Welcome to Sportskeeda's coverage of PKL 10. After an excellent start to the season in the Ahmedabad leg, the PKL caravan shifts south to Bengaluru for the next week, and it's the home team Bengaluru Bulls who're on the mat first to take on Dabang Delhi KC at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium.

Both teams need a win coming into this game, the home team, in particular. The Bulls have lost both their opening fixture, by a margin of no more than three, first to the Gujarat Giants and then to the Bengal Warriors. Their star raider Bharat hasn't got going, and their veteran cover defender Surjeet Singh hasn't had the best of outings either.

Things aren't rosy in the Dabang Delhi camp either, as they were thumped by the Tamil Thalaivas in their only fixture in the competition so far, as their defense came completely unstuck against Ajinkya Pawar, with Naveen Kumar's 14 points the only saving grace for them.

With two of the league's best raiders going head-on, we couldn't have found a better way to start this second leg of PKL 10.