How Did Ashun Malik's Super 10 Lead Dabang Delhi to Victory Over Gujarat Giants?

Visakhapatnam, Sep 11 (NationPress) Dabang Delhi K.C. concluded their Vizag leg of Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 with an impressive 38-28 victory against Gujarat Giants at the Vishwanadh Sports Club on Thursday. Captain Ashu Malik spearheaded the team with 14 points, while Fazel Atrachali showcased a stellar defensive performance, helping the team maintain their unbeaten streak this season.

The table leaders were ahead 8-6 at the 10-minute mark, as Ajinkya Pawar and Ashu Malik collected five raid points, with Fazel Atrachali and Sandeep providing solid defense. Ajinkya excelled in high-pressure moments, while Ashu managed to eliminate Shadloui, keeping the Season 8 champions in the lead.

For the Giants, Aryavardhan Navale was notable with three raid points, alongside Rakesh who contributed two. Nonetheless, missed do-or-die chances meant the Giants could not fully exploit Dabang Delhi's vacant raids, keeping the match competitive in the early stages.

Things shifted in the second half of the match. Sandeep Deswal successfully tackled Rakesh, followed by Ashu's consecutive successful raids, first taking down Shubham Kumar and then Sumit. This left the Giants with only one player – Parteek Dahiya – who was ultimately subdued by Fazel Atrachali, leading to an all-out.

This set a firm tone for the remainder of the first half. Shadloui struggled to make his mark and ended up with no points, while Ashu, after a slow beginning, delivered two consecutive multi-point raids to achieve his fifth consecutive Super 10. With strong backing from Ajinkya, Dabang Delhi headed into halftime with a significant 21-14 lead.

Another all-out seemed imminent for the Giants after several successful raids by Dabang Delhi, but Rakesh managed to get a touch point on Surjeet Singh. This was soon followed by a super tackle as Ashu inadvertently stepped into the lobby.

However, this was merely a brief respite, as the all-out occurred before the end of the third quarter. Shadloui continued to falter, and Rakesh failed to shine after being tackled by Saurabh Nandal. Aryavardhan was also taken down by Fazel, while Ashu eliminated Shadloui with a touch point, inflicting the second all-out, leaving the score at 31-21 with 10 minutes remaining.

In what seemed a mere consolation effort, Parteek Dahiya successfully raided against Neeraj Narwal, followed by a multi-point raid against Surjeet and Sandeep. However, for every point the Giants secured, Dabang Delhi responded swiftly.

As the match neared its conclusion, Dabang Delhi clinched yet another convincing victory, with Fazel Atrachali completing his High Five after tackling Parteek. Despite Shadloui finally scoring with successful tackles against Ajinkya and Mohit, it was too late to change the outcome. Under the adept leadership of Ashu Malik, Dabang Delhi achieved a 10-point victory, marking their fifth consecutive win.