NCR Punjab Royals beat the Mumbai Maharathi 5-4 in the second semi-final of the Pro Wrestling League at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium on Wednesday. Punjab will now take on the Haryana Hammers in the final to decide who will be crowned the champion.
After six bouts, the scores were level at 3-3 with Jabrayil Hasanov, Erica Weibe and Pavlo Oliynik picking up wins for the Mumbai Maharathi. As far as the Punjab side is concerned, they had foreign wrestlers Odunayo Adekuoroye, Vladimir Khinchegashvili and Ilias Bekbulatov to thank for their three victories.
They secured their place in the final after their Indian duo of Nirmala Devi and Pankaj Rana scored thrilling victories in the 48 kg and 70 kg category bouts respectively. Devi defeated Colombian Carolina Castillo Hidalgo 2-2 by virtue of a higher scoring move, while Rana beat Pritam 8-8, getting the win because he scored the last points.
Pankaj on his victory said, "I knew my team was relying on my bout and hence I could feel the pressure. I wanted to make sure that I win so that my team can reach finals. It indeed became very important for me to earn this victory." He joked that his teammates would have not spared him had he lost the crucial encounter.
Devi was all smiles after her win and wants her side to push on and go all the way. She said, "I just had a thought in my mind that I have to win for my team today. Now we are ready to storm into finals and become the champions."
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In the league encounter between the two teams, it was Punjab that prevailed 4-3. This being a knockout tie, all nine weight categories were contested and the Royals made full use of their roster, recording a splendid win to make it two victories out of two against the Maharathis.
The match also saw a cameo from yoga guru Baba Ramdev, who took on Andriy Stadnik in a promotional bout. The Russian lost 12-0 in a match that saw the crowd go ballistic as they cheered every move made by Ramdev.
In the women’s 48 kg bout, it was Castillo who held the upper hand as she scored a point off Devi's passivity and another with a pushout. However, the Indian grappler came back from behind to take down the Colombian wrestler in remarkable fashion. Even as the scoreline read 2-2 in the end, Devi was adjudged the winner by virtue of her scoring points with a higher-scoring manoeuvre.
The penultimate bout was the most crucial as Pritam took on Punjab's Pankaj Rana in the 70 kg men's category. Pritam showed great intent with some aggressive grappling, as he took down Pankaj twice and added a flipover to go into the second round leading 6-2. Pankaj recovered in the final moments of the bout, a dramatic takedown resulting in him drawing level with Pritam 8-8. The Punjab man was declared the winner based on the Last Point Won.
The Punjab Royals will take on the unbeaten Haryana Hammers to determine the winner of the Pro Wrestling League. The match will be held on Thursday, January 19.
It was an intriguing matchup that could have gone either way, but it was Punjab who clinched the tie by virtue of having stronger Indian grapplers. The Baba Ramdev match drew huge cheers from the crowd as well, which is good for promoting the sport in the country.
