Race for the Super-six intensifies as we move to the second half of the 'Pool A' league matches, the build-up to this match was really a firepot as both teams were unbeaten up until this match, and their previous encounter ended in a thrilling tie. So, this was actually a test of who will flinch first and who will hold their nerve as neither of them was to give an inch of a breather. Standing true to the build-up, this match went to the wire as both the teams were neck and neck till the very end with a margin of not more than 3-4 points throughout the match.
Interestingly Praveen and Jasvir Panipat Academy at no stage let NK Academy take a lead but NK Academy did not falter and waited till the very last moment for their opportunity and eventually prevailed to beat Praveen and Jasvir Panipat Academy by 2 points.
Both teams were solid with their defense and very strategic with their offense as they were mostly playing on Do or Die(DoD) raids to maximize the use of the time available to them which is proven by the fact that both teams played 16 DoD raids combined. A cat and mouse game was played in the Kabaddi arena to see who will flinch first to let their guard down but it was star raider Rakesh Sangroya of the NK Academy who held it together for them with the only super 10 of the match.
While both the teams were on point with their strategy but at the halfway stage Praveen and Jasvir Academy were actually ahead as the duo of Narender Hoshiyar(9 points) and Sahil Sultan(4 points) kept it together for them on both fronts and scoreline after the first half read 20-17 in favor of Praveen and Jasvir Panipat Academy.
The second half of the match was no different from the first half as Praveen and Jasvir Panipat Academy maintained a lead of 2-3 points till the very end, but the turning point of the match was provided by Krishan(6 points) for NK Academy who pulled off a solo tackle against a DoD raid by Ashu Rothas(3 points) of Praveen and Jasvir Panipat Academy and reduced the margin of score to one point and the scoreline reading 28-29. The final touches of the match were provided by Rakesh Sangroya as he completed his super 10 and led his team NK Academy to victory.
Narender Hoshiyar of Praveen and Jasvir Panipat Academy was named the best raider and payer of the match, whereas Krishan of NK Academy was named the best defender of the match.
Since NK Academy has sealed their spot in Super-six, it will be interesting to see which two teams join them from Pool A. Looking at the current situation Bhaini School and Praveen and Jasvir Panipat Academy, ranked second & third in the pool respectively looks favorites to claim those spot, but anything is possible in the upcoming days and it will be interesting to see how the story unfolds.
Match Results Day 03:
Match 09: NK Academy won the match vs Bhaini School. (49-24)
Match 10: Praveen and Jasvir Panipat Academy won the match vs Chhaju Ram Academy. (71-40)
Match 11: Bhaini School won the match vs Khokhar Academy. (50-19)
Match 12: NK Academy won the match vs Praveen and Jasvir Panipat Academy. (31-29)
Upcoming Fixtures Day 04: (25/07/2021)
Match 13: Khokhar Academy vs Chhaju Ram Academy (10:00 A.M)
Match 14: Bhaini School vs NK Kabaddi Academy (12:00 P.M)
Match 15: Chhaju Ram Academy vs Praveen and Jasvir Panipat Academy (06:00 P.M)
Match 16: NK Academy vs Khokhar Academy (08:00 P.M)
Venue: Future Fighters Kabaddi Academy, Gurugram.
