PVL 2022: Skipper Ashwal Rai shines, Kolkata Thunderbolts beat Calicut Heroes 3-2

The Kolkata Thunderbolts won a thrilling contest against Calicut Heroes in the ongoing Prime Volleyball League (PVL) on February 7.

Skipper Ashwal Rai produced a phenomenal performance to help his team record a thrilling 3-2 (15-13, 12-15, 15-10, 12-15, 15-13) win against Calicut Heroes at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday.

The spiking prowess of Ashwal held the team together in giving the team their first win of the tournament. The Kolkata Thunderbolts got off to a strong start, taking a 5-2 lead early on in the match. Although the team finished on the winning end, 'serving' seemed like a chink in armor for the otherwise solid team.

Mohammad Riyazudeen and Aravindhan did a fabulous job as blockers which gave Ashwal the freedom to do what he does best.

Meanwhile, the Calicut Heroes were not too behind in the game. Spiker C. Ajith Lal was seen giving the opponents a hard time, repeatedly splitting their defence with powerful smashes. Ajit was backed by the experienced Jerome Vinith, M.V. Sujan Lal, Mujeeb and K. Rahul throughout.

Jerome Vinith tried to keep the Calicut Heroes in the contest but Ashwal kept producing solid spikes which helped Kolkata close out the first set at 15-13.

Kolkata continued to dominate in the second set as well, taking a 8-6 lead. However, Calicut gained momentum after winning a crucial super point and raced through to a three-point lead at 12-9. Fabulous spikes by Vinith and Ajithlal C helped the Heroes win the second set 15-12 and get on the board.

It was a neck and neck contest. In the third set, both sides kept winning points in tandem until a fantastic block by Mohamed Riyazudeen and a spike by Ashwal helped Kolkata take the lead at 12-9, eventually winning the set 15-10.

Meanwhile, the Calicut Heroes bounced back. Vignesh Raj D and Ajithlal produced some brilliant spikes as Calicut attained a massive 8-3 lead in the fourth set. The Heroes rode on the momentum to win the fourth set 15-12 to make it two sets all.

In the fifth set, both teams held a close contest until Calicut advanced to 7-3 until Ashwal came to the rescue to level the scores to 12-12. The Kolkata skipper finished with a fantastic spike to take his team to a thrilling 15-13 victory.

---

Prime Volleyball 2022 (PVL): February 8 Schedule & Match Timings in IST

Bengaluru Torpedoes vs Kochi Blue Spikers

Date: February 8, Timings: 7 pm (IST)

Streaming details:

Watch Rupay Prime Volleyball League 2022 Live on SONY TEN 1 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi), SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) & SONY TEN 2 (Malayalam) channels from February 6. Live streaming on Sony LIV.