Bengal Warriors defeated Dabang Delhi in the final of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2019 at the EKA Arena by TransStadia in Ahmedabad on Saturday to clinch their maiden title.
#PKL Pro Kabaddi 2019
In the absence of star raider and regular captain Maninder Singh, it was a sensational performance from Iranian all-rounder Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh, who led the side from the front and turn the game around single-handedly with total nine raid points and a tackle point.
Dabang Delhi was off to a flyer in the first half with star raider Naveen Kumar causing trouble early on to the Warriors’ defence. Dabang Delhi raced to a 6-0 lead in no time before Warriors opened their account with the first point in the final. However, an impressive display from captain Nabibakhsh in the attack pulled the Warriors back into the contest with the Dabang Delhi defence caught napping on several occasions.
Pro Kabaddi League Bengal Warriors Win 2019 Title
Delhi’s Iranian player Meraj Sheykh impressed as a substitute, picking up two raid points in pressure situations, but the Warriors secured their first All-Out with under four minutes remaining for the break.
The closely-contested first-half ended with the scores levelled at 17-17.
The Warriors maintained that momentum in the second half as they quickly got into the lead. The Warriors clinched another All-Out in the 8th minute of the half to open up a 4-point lead.
Bengal Warriors Defeat Dabang Delhi
Delhi’s Naveen Kumar clinched his Super 10 in the 10th minute (21st consecutive) but his side struggled to get a stranglehold of the match as Warriors corner combination of Rinku Narwal and Baldev Singh also got into the game.
The Warriors inflicted another All-Out with six minutes remaining to open up a 10-point lead.
Naveen Kumar kept trying to script a comeback for the Delhi side, hitting the 300-point milestone in the process, but his work continuously got undone by uncharacteristic errors in the defence with the likes of Joginder Narwal and Ravinder Pahal struggling.
Pro Kabaddi 2019 Final Moment of The Day
Naveen Kumar was at his usual best in the raiding department for Dabang Delhi and recorded his 21st straight Super Ten of the season. However, his alone efforts were not enough for Delhi as their defence could not make an impact in the final. Naveen returned with an impressive 18 raid points from eleven raids and was the best raider of the game by a significant margin.
Nabibakhsh’s valiant effort ensured the two teams went into the half time with nothing to separate them at 17 points apiece. However, in the second half, the Warriors capitalised on the inspirational display from their skipper to mount more pressure on the out-of-touch Dabang Delhi defence, which managed to earn only three points in total in the final.
Pro Kabaddi 2019 Final HIGHLIGHTS
The Warriors’ defence held tight in the final minutes to secure their maiden Pro Kabaddi League title.
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