Pune, Dec 14 (IANS): The raiding duo of Naveen Kumar and Ashu Malik once again made headlines as Dabang Delhi K.C. secured an impressive 44-37 victory over the Haryana Steelers in a Season 11 match of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Badminton Hall in the Balewadi Sports Complex here on Saturday.
Ashu finished the match with an impressive 15 points while Naveen Kumar scored seven. Among their defenders, Ashish Narwal scored five points as Dabang Delhi K.C. moved to second on the points table.
The Haryana Steelers started strong as young raider Shivam Patare got five of five successful raids to give the PKL 10 finalists an early lead. He was ably supported by all-rounder Mohammadreza Shadloui, who first won two raid points and then tackled Naveen Kumar to complete the first ALL OUT of the match on Dabang Delhi K.C. in the seventh minute.
On the other side of the mat, Ashu Malik and Naveen Kumar found form and returned to their usual best. As the match seemed to be tilting in favour of the Haryana Steelers, the season 8 champion fought their way back by the end of the first half.
Yogesh led their defensive unit to prevent Shivam from scoring any points in a Do-Or-Die raid, while Ashu Malik and Naveen kept the pressure up. At the half-time whistle, an All Out was inflicted on the Haryana Steelers, with the Dabang Delhi K.C. carrying a slender 20-18 into the break. The pressure continued to mount on the Haryana Steelers, especially after Dabang Delhi K.C. inflicted a second All Out on the Manpreet Singh-coached team. It took Dabang Delhi K.C. just three minutes into the second half to roll to a seven-point lead.
With a strong lead in their hands, Ashu Malik and Naveen Kumar went about their business as usual. A third All Out was on the cards against the Haryana Steelers with six minutes left to the end of the game. Ashu Malik completed his 15th Super 10 of the season and also hit a double century in raid points in PKL 11, as his team went on the beat the table-toppers by nine points and extend their unbeaten run to 12 matches.