Suraj Desai shines on debut but Dabang Delhi K.C. clinch a thriller

It was a record-breaking debut for Suraj Desai, who set the all-time mark for most points on debut with 18 – surpassing brother Siddharth’s mark of 15 points. But that wasn’t enough for Telugu Titans as Naveen Kumar and Joginder Narwal led Dabang Delhi K.C. to a 34-33 win in a riveting encounter at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Telugu Titans got off to the perfect start, as debutant Suraj Desai scored two touch points in his very first raid in VIVO Pro Kabaddi. But the visitors fired back with three unanswered points to nullify that start. ‘Baahubali’ Siddharth Desai got off the mark with a successful raid attempt in the game’s first Do-Or-Die raid to bring parity to the scoreline at 3-3.

The Desai brothers continued their good work, but Naveen matched them point-for-point as neither team allowed the other to build a substantial lead in the contest. Ravinder Pahal’s second point of the night followed by all-rounder Meraj Sheykh’s first reduced Telugu Titans down to three men and gave Dabang Delhi K.C. a two-point lead before a Super Tackle from Amit Kumar levelled the scores yet again. The two teams headed into the half-time break with Dabang Delhi K.C. leading 13-12.

The second half started with Telugu Titans scoring two points, this time courtesy of a Super Tackle by Vishal Bhardwaj. But two more successful raids from Naveen reduced Telugu Titans down to just two men. Suraj kept the All-Out at bay, but a touch point by Naveen on Suraj finally opened the door for Dabang Delhi K.C. and they made no mistake in capitalizing, inflicting the game’s first All-Out.

Naveen and Ranjit helped their team pull ahead on the scoreboard but an incredible four-point raid from Suraj brought his team right back into the contest and also gave them a two-point lead. A successful raid from Ranjit and a Super Tackle from Joginder Narwal then started a run of six straight points for Dabang Delhi K.C., giving them a four-point lead, the largest of the night.

With Telugu Titans trailing by two in the final seconds of the contest, Suraj Desai went in for a buzzer raid, but veteran Ravinder Pahal showcased his experience and put in an advanced tackle, allowing just a solitary point to the raider and confirming a hard-fought victory for his side.

Top Performers:

Dabang Delhi K.C. –

Best Raider – Naveen Kumar (14 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Joginder Narwal (4 Tackle Points)

Telugu Titans –

Best Raider – Suraj Desai (18 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Vishal Bhardwaj (4 Tackle Points)