Pune: Dabang Delhi K.C. sealed their place in the PKL 11 playoffs in emphatic fashion as they beat Bengal Warriorz 47-25 at the Badminton Hall in Balewadi Sports Complex, here.
Another brilliant performance led by their star raider Ashu Malik’s 17 points secured a big win for Joginder Narwal’s side on Monday night as they became the second team to seal their place in the top six.
In doing so, Dabang Delhi K.C. became the first team to reach the playoffs in six consecutive seasons while also equalling the record for the longest unbeaten streak in a single PKL season having gone 13 matches without a loss.
Bengal Warriorz, led by Sultan Fazel Atrachali, performed well in tackling the star raiders of Dabang Delhi K.C.. However, this did not deter Ashu Malik, who was at his usual best once again.
He capitalised on a mistake from Nitesh Kumar to begin his scoring and then earned a bonus and a touch point on two separate occasions to give his team the early advantage.
Nevertheless, Siddhesh Tatkare sent the raider out with a decisive dash. Naveen Kumar also entered the scoreboard with a successful raid on Mayur Kadam, but Fazel demonstrated his experience with a dash that got the Warriorz back into the match.
In a Do-Or-Die raid, Ashu Malik showcased why he was the best raider on the mat with a Super Raid that eliminated all but one of the players from Bengal Warriorz. Mayur Kadam, Pranay Rane, Nitesh Kumar and Fazel Atrachali found themselves off the mat.
Aditya Shinde was next tackled by Yogesh in the very next move, inflicting the first All-Out of the match on Bengal Warriorz. This marked the beginning of a comprehensive defeat as Ashu Malik went on to complete his Super 10 within just 16 minutes of the clash.
As the first-half drew to a close, Dabang Delhi K.C. ran through Bengal Warriorz with the score reading 26-9 at the break.
The second half commenced with a second All-Out on Bengal Warriorz as the template of the match remained the same. But in a rare point for Bengal Warriorz, Nitesh Kumar tackled Ashu Malik, giving his team a glimmer of hope.
But it was not to be as Dabang Delhi K.C. ran away with the victory. While Ashu dominated the raiding unit, the defence was led ably by Yogesh, who completed his High 5 with a tackle on Pranay Rane in a Do-Or-Die Raid.
They finished the match with a huge difference of 22 points over Bengal Warriorz, who were eliminated from the playoffs race.
