The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) witnessed exciting matches as Dabang Delhi KC secured a win against Bengaluru Bulls with a score of 41-34. This victory marked the opening of their account in the 12th season. Ashu Malik, the captain of Dabang Delhi, showcased an outstanding performance, scoring 15 points and leading his team to success in a match held at Vishwanadh Sports Club Stadium. The Bengaluru Bulls faced a second consecutive defeat. Other key contributors to Delhi’s win were Neeraj Narwal (7 points) and defenders Fazel Atrachali and Saurabh Nandal (3 points each). Akash Malik (8 points) and Alireza Mirjaine (10 points) played well for the Bulls, but Akash Shinde, their star raider, had a poor showing with only 3 points. Delhi started aggressively, taking a 2-1 lead early in the game. Delhi’s defense put pressure on the Bulls by successfully implementing a do-or-die raid on Akash Shinde. Ashu Malik’s super raid in the fifth minute boosted the score to 6-1. Delhi built on this momentum, achieving a 10-3 lead after their first all-out.
The Bulls attempted a comeback, with Yogesh out-of-boundsing Ashu and Ashish eliminating Naveen. However, Neeraj Narwal helped Delhi maintain an 8-point lead. Ashu completed his Super-10 before halftime, extending the lead to 21-11. Delhi maintained control in the second half. Despite the Bulls earning two points through a super tackle, Delhi executed another all-out, pushing the score to 28-13. The Bulls fought back in the final minutes, even managing an all-out on Delhi, but they were unable to overcome the 7-point deficit.
In the day’s second match, Jaipur Pink Panthers, the two-time champions, defeated the three-time champions Patna Pirates with a score of 39-36. This victory was a great start to the season for Jaipur, while Patna suffered their second defeat. Nitin Dhankhar scored 13 points for Jaipur, and Ali Samadhi contributed 8 points. Maninder Singh scored 15 points for Patna and tried hard to bring his team back into the game, but Aryan Lohchab’s low score of 6 points was a setback. Sudhakar M’s 9 points were helpful, but not enough to win the match. The match was closely contested from the beginning, resulting in a narrow 3-point margin.