Naveen Kumar proved once again why he is considered the best raider in kabaddi as he helped Dabang Delhi K.C. beat U.P. Yoddha 37-33 in match 40 of Pro Kabaddi Season 8 at The Sheraton Grand, Whitefield, Bengaluru.
The opening game of the triple-header night saw the Yoddha defenders give Naveen Kumar a tough time with aggressive tackles but the young raider found ways to get past them and ensure his side emerged victorious.
U.P. Yoddha didn’t do a lot wrong on the night with Pardeep Narwal and Surender Gill scoring nine points each. Unfortunately for them, it was just another outstanding performance from Naveen Kumar who scored 18 points including one for the tackle. The result helped Dabang Delhi K.C. regain the top spot on the points table.
U.P. Yoddha started the match with a steely determination to stop Delhi’s Naveen Kumar from running away with the points. Yoddha’s corner duo of Nitesh Kumar and Sumit were at their aggressive best as they thwarted the Delhi’s raider.
At the other end, Pardeep Narwal looked confident against the error-prone Delhi defence. He picked crucial points off left cover Manjit Chhillar and guided Yoddha to their first all-out with five minutes remaining in the first half.
Yoddha continued the aggressive approach in the remainder of the first half, with Shubham Kumar also impressing in defence. Naveen Kumar was benched five times in a half that ended 18-13 in favour of U.P. Yoddha.
If U.P. Yoddha thought they had found a solution to stop Naveen Kumar, they were in for a rude surprise. The first 10 minutes of the second half belonged completely to the Delhi raider who started it all with a tackle on his nemesis of Pardeep Narwal. He then went on to chip points off the Yoddha defence and eventually helped Delhi clinch an all-out. He scored yet another Super 10 as Delhi opened a three-point lead with five minutes remaining.
The lead proved too much for the Yoddha raiders to claw back as Delhi sealed an important win.
Featured photo: Pro Kabaddi
