Welcome to Sportstar's coverage of the Pro Kabaddi League. This is Lavanya Lakshmi Narayanan and I will be taking you through today's PKL 8 final between Patna Pirates and Dabang Delhi.
MATCH REPORT by Shyam Vasudevan:
Check out the video highlights of the final here:
Top raider of the season: Pawan Sehrawat (304 raid points from 24 matches)
Top defender of the season: Mohammadreza Shadloui (89 tackle points in 24 games)
New young player of the season: Mohit Goyat (Puneri Paltan)
Most Valuable Player of Season 8: Naveen Kumar (207 raid points in 17 matches)
Shadloui has been spotted rooted to the bench. Despair for the Pirates. The trophy was all but theirs and it was stolen by the team everyone wrote off.
Krishan Hooda goes to Naveen Kumar for a big hug. The coach really is the star. He rallied behind his players, be it injuries, poor form, haste, whatever. He stood behind his boys. This trophy validates his belief. The Delhi camp cannot stop dancing. Delhi has beaten Patna thrice this season. Only seems right that they are the champions - the ones who beat the unbeatables.
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37-36
Naveen crosses the baulk line and
THAT'S THAT. DABANG DELHI IS THE SEASON 8 CHAMPION.
37-36
Monu gets Sandeep Narwal. Time for one more raid. Delhi sends in Naveen
37-35
Naveen gets Shadloui and pushes him back. Time for one more raid for Monu.
36-35
Shadloui get a quick toe touch but he needed more than one point here.
36-34
Shadloui gets a bonus from under Sandeep Narwal's nose.
36-33 SUNIL GIFTS VIJAY A POINT
AND RAM MEHER SINGH IS LEFT TEARING HIS HAIR OUT. All he had to do was stay away as Vijay had come in on a do or die raid but he got antsy.
Should Ram Meher Singh have played Monu Goyat?
35-33 Shadloui goes in for a pursuit and get a bonus
35-32
Monu is asked to go for the bonus. But Manjeet Chhillar makes it easy for him and jumps. Easy for Monu to pull back. Sandeep Narwal instantly shouts - Nahin bhaisaab (no brother). Slightly hilarious.
35-31
Monu with yet another bonus point. Delhi challenges and says no bonus point.
REVIEW UNSUCCESSFUL . No more technological aid in this game for either side now.
35-30 Vijay with a super raid. He gets to his super 10.
Bonus plus two touch points.
32-30
Monu gets a vital bonus point.
Let's go. The longest four and a half minutes of the season.
Patna's main raiders are off the mat. That explains the angst Shyam hears in Shadloui's voice here. Patna has exhausted its subtitutions and that means Sachin and Guman cannot return. Is this the final nail in the coffin?
32-29 BONUS PLUS A POINT FOR Monu and Patna Pirates.
He's taken off Joginder Narwal courtesy a loose anklehold from the veteran. Delhi reviews to deny the bonus point.
REVIEW SUCCESSFUL for DELHI. Monu has only cut the line so no bonus. Ram Meher gets a warning for disturbing the game.
32-28 VIJAY gets a two-point raid.
Shadloui out of bounds + a touch. Patna reviews and says only one point. Shadloui has walked off, as we see in the replay. If he has stayed in the lobby, he would have been fine but he's gone off completely. Did he step out after Vijay reached the midline though? Let's wait and see. REVIEW UNSUCCESSFUL.
30-28 ALL OUT INFLICTED ON PATNA PIRATES. But Patna gets a bonus point.
Ram Meher Singh is left with his hand on his mouth.
27-27
There's no stopping Naveen though as he gets a subtle touch from a defender going for a low hold. Patna staring at an all out.
26-27
Patna back in the lead thanks to this smart raid from Guman. Bonus plus a touch on Manjeet Chhillar.
26-25
Naveen gets Sunil who tries to dash him out. Ram Meher Singh's fuming face is what we see next. Pressure getting to Patna
25-25 Guman goes in for a do or die raid and gets a bonus point.
25-24 NAVEEN GETS SAJIN. SUPER 10 for the youngster.
What a big match player this man.
24-24 Sachin's shoe seems to have lost grip there. Comes away safely.
We had a timeout. Scores tied. Naveen and Vijay are nearing a super 10. Shadloui is off the mat. Has the game tilted in Delhi's favour now?
24-24 NO ADVANCE TACKLE said Ram Meher. Monu fell for the bait and takes the long walk to the bench. SCORES LEVEL.
23-24 HAS VIJAY GOT TWO? SUPER RAID - HE GETS A BONUS PLUS TWO DEFENDERS including Shadloui.
Lead down to one point.
20-24 Sachin Tanwar is a delight.
As he runs back, Sandeep Narwal comes dashing from the side. Sachin travels with him to the midline, after a mild struggle. It was a do or die raid. Why bother, Delhi?
20-23
Diving hand touch from Vijay.
19-23 SHADLOUI IS ROARING AND WHY WON'T HE? He's taken out Naveen Kumar.
He crouches and holds Naveen mid kick. There was no getting out of that hold.
19-22 GUMAN SINGH! WHAT A REVELATION. TWO POINTS FOR PATNA PIRATES.
He takes out Manjeet and gets a kick on Krishan Dhull.
19-20 HOLD ON. A technical point is giving to Dabang Delhi
as Patna seems to have gotten its revival order wrong. Wow. I jinxed that lead didn't I?
The two point lead endures for Patna.
18-20
Sunil, in trying to avoid Ashu Malik, loses his footing and bounces over the endline. Pity. More importantly, Patna down to three men.
17-20 Sachin is now tackled himself. Manjeet Chhillar angrily holds him down and a sea of blue comes to back him up. WAS I LYING ABOUT THE INTENSITY? [insert Sheldon breathing into the bag meme]
16-20 Sachin Tanwar turns defender
with a double thigh hold. Naveen did not see Sachin coming. The element of surprise.
Back to the bench goes Naveen
16-19 Sachin Tanwar is chipping away.
He gets the touch on Krishan Dhull on that left corner. Manjeet Chhillar is left deciding whether to hold him back.
16-18
Shubham Shinde in an uncomfortable position on the left corner is targeted by Naveen and he gets him with a lazy kick.
15-18
Sachin Tanwar sets the mood and gets a running hand touch on Sandeep Narwal. Right after, Prashant goes off for Monu
And we resume.
My fingers already hurt and I can only imagine how feverish the pace of the game will get in this second half. Both teams have everything to gain and lose and so expect a higher intensity. Grab your snacks and stick with us.
HALF TIME: A slender two-point lead for Patna. While the numbers favour Patna, this is thin ice for the three-time champion. The defenders on both times have not come to the party as they would have wanted to.
2 TACKLE POINTS FOR EACH TEAM IN THIS FIRST HALF. Not ideal at all. While the raiders are doing most of the heavy lifting so far, the defence needs to come in for this game to swing decisively in someone's favour.
15-17 Naveen takes out Neeraj. Third time in this game. With a kick no less. Looks like Neeraj was anticipating a toe touch.
14-17 Quick bonus for Patna.
14-16 Vijay now removes Shadloui. In trying to fly up over Shadloui, he uses the Iranian's back as a launchpad. Naveen comes in.
13-16 Smart from Sachin as he removes Joginder Narwal. Too easy. The pace undoing the experienced Delhi captain.
13-15 Naveen is dashed out by Sajin but it's a point each as Sajin and Naveen are both off the mat completely.
REMINDER: FOUR MEN REMAINING ON THE MAT FOR PATNA. NO SHADLOUI HERE.
12-14
Manjeet Chhillar goes with the thigh hold on Prashant Kumar Rai. Krishan Dhull and Joginder come forward to back up that hold and he is too far.
All that experience coming through!
11-14
Naveen comes in. Neeraj offers the block close to the midline. Naveen is not naive. He uses the space he has to the side and cartwheels to the midline.
10-14
How fast is Guman Singh? He gets a swift touch on that right corner. Joginder removed again!
GREEN CARD ISSUED TO BOTH CAPTAINS. How do you control emotions in a game like this?
10-13 Prashant Kumar Rai swiftly picks up a bonus.
10-12 WHAT'S HAPPENED HERE? Naveen has a touch on Shadloui and the Iranian is incensed. He asks for the review and Naveen is annoyed and asks for a review too. I don't think Ram Meher Singh likes this. Is this wasted? The referees need something decisive to overturn the on court decision awarded to Dabang Delhi. Egos clashing here with Naveen and Shadloui.
REVIEW UNSUCCESSFUL. Shadloui walks with a bruised ego to the bench.
9-12
Sandeep Narwal grabs Sachin Tanwar, Joginder Narwal comes in as level two defence and Krishan comes in as third layer as Sachin is left reaching out for the midline in vain.
8-12
Sandeep Narwal, the last man standing for Delhi, gets his bonus but has stepped out while trying to be too ambitious and getting a touch.
ALL OUT INFLICTED.
7-9
Guman has Sandeep Narwal on one side and Vijay on the other. Ater pursuing Sandeep for a while, Guman goes after Vijay and gets his man.
7-8
Vijay comes in with a bonus again and closes the gap a bit more.
6-8
Guman Singh comes in on a do or die raid and takes out Joginder Narwal. Patna operating like a well-oiled machine and this machine has reduced Delhi to two men on the mat now.
6-7
Vijay focuses on the bonus and gets it.
5-7 Shadloui sees Naveen coming to the left and goes for the ankle hold and pulls him down. Crazy hunting in the deep here. 1-1 in the Shadloui vs Naveen battle. Also the first tackle point of the night. That's how cautious the defenders have been tonight.
5-6
Sachin has taken out Manjeet Chhillar with a massive running hand touch. Manjeet staring down in disbelief or annoyance as he trudges to the bench.
5-5
Naveen gets rid of Neeraj who tries an advanced tackle but Naveen is nimble. He gets away with these things.
4-5
Sachin undoes Naveen's good work, getting a touch on the left cover defender. Shadloui returns. What a see-saw!
4-4 WELL WELL WELL. Naveen has picked Shadloui!
3-4 Guman Singh comes to his left, turns around and kicks high backward to get Krishan Dhull. Where is Manjeet Chhillar with the reinforcement?
3-3 Sachin removes Vijay with a running hand touch. Taking away Naveen's reinforcements?
3-2
Naveen steals a bonus from under Shadloui's nose. ooof!
2-2
Sachin goes toe to toe with his Delhi counterparts and quickly returns with a bonus point himself.
2-1 Vijay stumbles right at the start of his raid but composes himself and gets a bonus. Slowly stacking the gains here, this Delhi side.
1-1 Prashant Kumar Rai gets Patna's first point of the night with a crouched running hand touch on Joginder Narwal.
1-0
Delhi will raid first and a Joginder Narwal with his cheek plastered is having a word with Naveen who will kick things off for his side. Naveen teases Shadloui and safely walks away with a bonus point.
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Before we head into the first raid, here's a reminder of what happens if we end with a tie at the end of regulation time.
What happens if match ends in a tie:
- Both teams will get five raids each for which they will submit a list of five raiders and the sequence in which they will raid. The team that had the first raid of the match will be the first to raid in this situation and in case a raider is injured before his turn comes, one of the two players on the mat who was originally not in the list can raid in place of the injured raider.
- Baulk line will act as the bonus line.
- Only the point counts i.e. no player will have to leave the mat despite conceding a touch point and therefore, both teams will have seven players on the mat throughout these five raids.
In case the score is tied even after this:
- There will be a coin toss and the team winning the toss will get a Golden Raid. Same rules as the five-raids-each tiebreaker apply except this time, the match will be over as soon as the raider going in for the Golden Raid picks a point and returns to his side of the mat.
- In case he does not win a bonus and gets tackled, the defending team wins.
- However, if he does pick up a bonus and then gets tackled, it will mean one point each leading to another tie which then gives the Golden Raid to the defending team.
In case the score is tied even after both sides having a shot at Golden Raid:
- The winner of the match will be decided by a coin toss.
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Patna has never lost a final. Will the streak continue? Let's find out.
Time for live action. Anand Mahindra is present, watching proceedings. He has been a key stakeholder in giving PKL the form and reach it has today.
8:20pm: LINE UPS:
Patna: Sachin, Prashanth Kumar Rai, Mohammadreza Shadloui, Guman Singh, Neeraj, Sajin, Sunil
Delhi: Naveen Kumar, Ashu Malik, Krishan, Joginder Narwal, Sandeep Narwal, Manjeet Chhillar, Vijay
8:15pm: Expert advice from Rishank Devadiga: Avoid Shadloui up front.
Shadloui LIVE: Naveen is my favourite raider on TV. On the mat, it is different situation. Once he comes to the mat, FINISH! (What swagger from the Iranian)
8pm: The broadcaster is showing a small rapid fire segment ft Shadloui and the Iranian powerhouse has named Naveen Kumar and Fazel Atrachali as his favourite players!
While we wait for live action to begin, check out this candid interview with the Naveen Express from S01 of our special series - Kings of Kabaddi.
7:45: FUN FACT:
While Dabang Delhi goes into the final as the underdog, it will take heart from the fact that it already beat Patna Pirates twice in the League this season.
Will it play on the minds of the Pirates?
7:40pm:Speaking about Krishan Hooda , the head coach of the Dabang Delhi unit, I have over several points in this season criticised the coach for his squad selections when he picked Ajay Thakur and Manjeet Chhillar who were at their underperforming worst at the start of the season. But Hooda kept insisting that he had faith in this side whenever we questioned him about this unit's selection thought process. When Naveen Kumar got injured, Manjeet Chhillar stepped up and rallied the team to overcome their biggest hurdle and scrape through to the final.
BELIEF.
7:30pm: Dabang Delhi's grit and Naveen could take it past the Pirates
Dabang Delhi got off to a rollicking start but Naveen's injury saw the side slip to a string of poor results. The defence, starring Jeeva Kumar, Manjeet, Joginder and Sandeep began to leak points and the side's play-off hopes appeared slim. But the young turks in Vijay, Ashu Malik and Neeraj came to the fore while the defence slowly eased into the season. And then came Naveen, back from the injury and raring to go.
The mercurial raider is yet to attain full fitness but has been motoring on with aplomb. He was instrumental in Dabang Delhi's win over the Bulls in the semis as he picked up points when it mattered the most and ensured he kept the scoreboard ticking. Patna Pirates has looked weak in Super Tackle situations, when the team is down to three men, and that is precisely a situation in which Naveen thrives.
7:20pm:Patna Pirates' incredible squad depth is its x-factor
The one aspect that has particularly worked for Patna Pirates this season has been the side's squad depth. The team chose to let go of Pardeep and brought in youngsters such as Guman and Sachin, who have excelled. So much so that Monu Goyat, at one point the League's most expensive player, has remained on the bench over the last few games and did not even play a minute in the semifinal. Where Sachin and Guman have shouldered the raiding responsibilities, Shadloui has anchored the defence.
RELATED READING:
The Iranian left corner, who was the most expensive foreign player at last year's player auctions, has dominated the left side of the mat. Known for his iron-clad ankle holds, he possesses great power and speed and is more often than not involved in every tackle. The youngster has 10 High-5's in PKL 8 - the most by any player in PKL history - and is also the leading defender. Sunil, Neeraj Kumar and Sajin Chandrashekar have played crucial roles in the defence and will look to clamp down Dabang Delhi's raiders.
7:00pm: SEMIFINAL RECAP:
Patna Pirates: The three-time champion, which topped the table at the end of the league stage and directly qualified for the last-four stage, outclassed Pardeep Narwal's UP Yoddha in their semifinal clash on Wednesday. UP Yoddha was of little to no match as Patna Pirates' three-pronged raiding team of Sachin Tanwar, Guman Singh and Prashant Kumar Rai ran riot, while Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh bagged his 10th High-5 to become PKL 8's most successful defender.
Dabang Delhi: Elsewhere, Dabang Delhi produced a superb all-around display to defeat Bengaluru Bulls and cruise into the final. The side banked on Naveen Kumar's brilliant Super 10 (14 points), while Vijay and Neeraj Narwal also chipped in with crucial points. The defence, featuring veterans such as Joginder Narwal, Manjeet Chhillar and Sandeep Narwal, had a decent outing and held on to seal the game despite Pawan Sehrawat scoring a whopping 18 points.
6:55pm: Despite their impressive numbers for their respective sides, here's a unique stat involving two of our imperious finalists - Mohammadreza Chiyaneh and Naveen Kumar.
6:45pm:
Hello folks and welcome to Sportstar's live coverage of the PKL 8 final! I cannot believe we've been at it here in our PKL space for over two months non stop and are now a few hours away from either an extension in legacy or the creation of a new one.
Patna Pirates, a team that has marauded its way to the final, is taking on an often unsteady Dabang Delhi side. Don't get me wrong, that is not an indictment of their skill and adamant effort to win the trophy. Battling poor form, dubious selection calls and an prolonged injury to their star raider Naveen Kumar, Delhi did well to rally its resources to best the others just enough to make the summit clash. Patna Pirates may come into this game as overwhelming favourites but I wouldn't be surprised if Dabang Delhi pulls off a coup.
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