Dabang Delhi put the U.P. Yoddhas to the sword beating them 36-27 at the PAtliputra Indoor Stadium on Saturday. Ashu Malik's 11 points, a defensive masterclass by Yogesh (5 points), Vikrant (3 points), and Vishal Bhardwaj (3 points) saw them take the points and climb to third on the table.
Dabang Delhi 36-27 U.P. Yoddhas
Despite trading points evenly for the first five minutes, the U.P. Yoddhas were immediately on the back foot, mostly due to Dabang Delhi KC constantly logging touchpoints. They inflicted the first ALL OUT within the first quarter of the game to take a five-point lead, which they never gave up from thereon.
The U.P. Yoddhas hope rode on Gagana Gowda, who stepped up on an evening when Pardeep Narwal looked well below par. The star man did not log a single point in the first half. Gowda on the other hand got the first SUPER RAID of the game with a few minutes of the half to go, to ensure the Yoddhas were not too far behind in the game. Dabang Delhi KC went into the break leading 20-13.
Gowda's lone charge came to no avail, and with Narwal faltering there was little the U.P.Yoddhas could do to contain the Dabang Delhi KC dominance. The lead kept rising each time Malik went on a raid, and soon enough Dabang Delhi KC got a second ALL OUT, this time to extend into a seemingly unassailable 33-23 lead.
Gowda got his well-deserved first-ever SUPER 10 in the final quarter of the game, but from there it was damage control for the U.P. Yoddhas who looked to salvage a point from the encounter. It wasn't to be though as Dabang Delhi KC took a massive nine-point victory.
(With Inputs From Press Release)