PKL 12: Puneri Paltans Beat Dabang Delhi in Nail Bitting Contest Via Tie Breaker

At the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium on Sunday, the 79th match of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 12 between Dabang Delhi KC and Puneri Paltan ended in a 38-38 tie at the end of regulation time. The winner was then decided through a tiebreaker, which Puneri Paltan won 6-5. With this victory, Paltan climbed to the top of the points table based on a better score difference. Both teams now have 24 points each. This was Paltan’s 12th win in 15 matches, while Delhi suffered their third loss in the same number of games.

Tiebreaker summary:
Aditya gave Paltan the lead by getting Surjeet out to make it 1-0. Then Neeraj equalized for Delhi. Pankaj’s second raid made it 2-1 for Paltan. Ajinkya came in for Delhi’s second raid but was caught, taking Paltan ahead 3-1. Abinesh added another point for Paltan, extending the lead to 4-1.

Fazel then scored one for Delhi, making it 2-4. Mohit took a bonus point to make it 5-2 in Paltan’s favor. Delhi responded with a point to bring it to 3-5, and then their defense caught Aslam, but he managed to secure a bonus before being tackled — sealing Paltan’s victory. On Delhi’s final raid, Naveen picked up a point, but it was too late.

Both teams — already qualified for the playoffs — played an intense first half. After the first 20 minutes, Delhi led 21-20, though Paltan kept the contest close with strong performances. Interestingly, Paltan ended the half with a super tackle.

In those 20 minutes, Delhi earned 13 raid points, while Paltan collected 12. Defensively, Delhi had a slight 5-4 advantage. Both sides inflicted one all-out each, and Paltan earned two additional team points compared to Delhi’s one.

For Delhi, Ajinkya scored 9 points in the first half, while Saurabh Nandal impressed with 4 defensive points. On the other hand, for Paltan, Pankaj Mohite earned 7 points, Aditya Shinde 3, and Mohit Goyat 2.

After halftime, Delhi inflicted an all-out to take a 26-22 lead. During this period, Ajinkya completed his Super 10, and Saurabh achieved a High 5. Despite Delhi’s early dominance, Puneri Paltan continued to fight back, preventing Delhi from extending their lead.

Thanks to Sandeep’s excellent tackles, Delhi led 32-26 by the 30th minute. After the timeout, Delhi looked in control, extending their lead to 6 points. However, Paltan captain Aslam Inamdar dismissed Fazel, sparking a comeback. With consistent scoring, Paltan narrowed the gap to just 3 points. Gaurav’s tackle on Ajinkya made it 32-34.

By the 38th minute, the game reached a thrilling stage. Paltan reduced the margin to 3 and pushed Delhi to the brink of an all-out. Mohit dismissed Saurabh to make it 35-37, putting Delhi on the verge of collapse. Paltan then inflicted an all-out to tie the score 38-38. After that, neither team took any major risks, sending the game into a tiebreaker.