Tamil Thalaivas begin their Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2023 season with a stunning victory as they defeated Dabang Delhi 42-31 on Sunday. On a night when most of the kabaddi fans pinned the raiding exploits on Delhi’s star raider Naveen Kumar, it was Ajinkya Pawar of Tamil Thalaivas who stole the show with an awesome raiding display. Tamil Thalaivas’ dynamic star Pawar was on fire and single-handedly decimated Dabang Delhi with a superb 21-point haul in the third match of the PKL season 10 in Ahmedabad.
In the early minutes of the game, both teams were on high alert and played positively. Both sides scored a couple of points early on with few exchanges, Pawar and Naveen got their team off the mark. Both teams were eager to blink first, but it was the Tamil Thalaivas who appeared to be in command at the back. The trend continued long into the second phase of the first half, as Tamil Thalaivas and Dabang Delhi traded punches and refused to let one other build a significant advantage.
Tamil Thalaivas were then led by Pawar and Sahil Gulia with some brilliant efforts on the mat. Meanwhile, Dabang Delhi was led by Naveen and Ashu Malik. With just few seconds left in the first half, Tamil Thalaivas stormed into a lead as they nailed an All-Out on Manjeet. Dabang Delhi, on the other hand, had none of it and went through the gears fast, with Naveen recording a Super Raid. At halftime, Tamil Thalaivas led by four points, with the game hanging in the balance.
Dabang Delhi needed to lift the ante in the second half and they showed great intent to give their best after the halftime break. Regardless, the Tamil Thalaivas were on a roll. Pawar scored a Super 10 and was brilliantly assisted by Narender and Himanshu, extending the lead to 6-points early in the second half. At this point, the Tamil Thalaivas were seeking to extend their lead, while Ajinkya was closing in on a 20-point haul.
In the final 10 minutes, Tamil Thalaivas took complete control over the game as they produced blistering performance in all departments. Although Dabang Delhi tried their best, they failed to turn the tide towards them in the second half. But there were a few instances where there was a slip between the cup and the lip, and Delhi made that count. Eventually, Tamil Thalaivas won the battle with relative ease.
