PKL-12: Bengaluru Bulls Secure Playoff Berth with Win Over Dabang Delhi

Bengaluru Bulls booked their place in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 12 playoffs after defeating Dabang Delhi KC 33-23 in the 94th match of the season, held on Saturday at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium. With this victory, the Bulls climbed to the third spot on the points table, officially earning their “Q” qualification mark.

Ali Reza Mirzai was the star performer for the Bulls, contributing 13 points, while in defense, Sanjay (4 points), captain Yogesh (3 points), and Deepak Sankar (3 points) also impressed. For Delhi, Mohit was their standout player, scoring 11 points through both raids and tackles, but his effort wasn’t enough to prevent Delhi from suffering their fourth defeat in 17 matches. This win marked the Bulls’ ninth victory in 16 games.

Delhi raiders started strong, taking an early 3-0 lead. In the fifth minute, Ashish tackled Sandeep to open the Bulls’ account. Shortly after, Yogesh caught Mohit, reviving Ali Reza, and by the seventh minute, the Bulls leveled the score at 4-4. Then, Deepak executed a perfect back hold on Naveen, giving the Bulls their first lead. Ali Reza followed it up by taking down Fazel Atrachali, putting Delhi in a super tackle situation.

By the 10-minute mark, Delhi had equalized again at 6-6. Seven minutes into the second quarter, both teams were locked at 8-8, before Aakash’s multi-point raid helped the Bulls take a 10-9 lead. Then, on a do-or-die raid, Deepak dashed out Neeraj, extending the Bulls’ lead to two points. At halftime, Bengaluru led 12-10.

In the second half, Ali Reza eliminated Naveen on a do-or-die raid, giving Delhi a super tackle chance, but Ajinkya’s back kick prevented it. However, Ali Reza again forced a super tackle situation in the next raid, and the Bulls’ defense successfully caught Ajinkya. Soon after, Bengaluru inflicted the first all-out on Delhi, taking a 19-12 lead.

After the all-out, Ali Reza dismissed Fazel again. By the 30-minute mark, the Bulls were up by eight points, and Ali Reza’s super raid stretched the gap to 11 points. Delhi had another super tackle opportunity, but Mohit managed to escape briefly before getting caught in the next raid.

Ali Reza then delivered a multi-point raid, completing his Super 10 and bringing Delhi to the verge of another all-out. The Bulls inflicted the second all-out, extending their lead to 29-14. Although Mohit’s late effort helped Delhi return the favor by all-outing the Bulls once, it was too late — the Bulls had already sealed a dominant victory.