Dabang Delhi KC’s captain, Naveen Kumar ensured that his team got off to a fabulous start in Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 as he racked up 13 points to help defeat U Mumba 41-27 in the opening match at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday. Dabang Delhi KC gained early momentum as Naveen Kumar pulled off a flurry of fantastic raids. He was backed up brilliantly by defenders Vishal and Sandeep Dhull as Dabang Delhi K.C. inflicted an All-Out to take a 11-5 lead in the 9th minute. Naveen continued to step on the pedal to help his team widen the lead to 14-5. Dabang Delhi K.C.’s defensive unit led by Krishan kept tackling U Mumba raiders as Delhi led 19-10 at half-time.



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U Mumba showed a bit more urgency in the second half with Ashish picking up some crucial raid points and Kiran Magar pulling off a couple of brilliant tackles. However, the Naveen Express kept raging on and helped his team lead 28-20 in the 31st minute. With only three U Mumba members on the mat, Naveen effected a multi-point raid and recorded his first Super 10 of the season. Moments later, Dabang Delhi K.C. inflicted another All-Out as his team led comfortably with a score of 33-21.


Dabang Delhi K.C. then sealed the fate of the match when they attained a massive 12-point lead in the 40th minute. Naveen continued to pick up raid points as Dabang Delhi K.C. eventually walked off the mat as winners.


In the second game, Bengaluru Bulls put on a spectacular show for their home fans on Friday night in the second game of the opening day of vivo Pro Kabaddi League Season 9. They swatted away the challenge from Telugu Titans by beating them 34-29 at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium. For the Bulls, Neeraj Narwal finished with seven points, while the duo of Vikash Kandola and Bharat chipped in with five points each to help begin their campaign with a win.


It was the Titans who got proceedings going as Vinay got the first raid in very quickly. Siddharth Desai pitched in too for Telugu Titans. The early momentum was very much with Telugu Titans, who were working well as a unit. However, the Bulls, who have a well-settled core, fought back after the early exchanges by wiping out the Titans’ slender lead as Bharat, Saurabh Nandal and Neeraj Narwal led the charge and picked up points in emphatic fashion.


The Bulls inflicted an All-Out just before the midway stage in the first half, which saw them gain a five-point lead. Momentarily rattled, Telugu Titans soon found another gear with the introduction of Rajnish, whose Super Raid set the cat among the pigeons just before halftime. Rajnish engineered an All-Out on the Bulls soon after as both teams went into the break at 17-17.


The second half started a bit slower, but the Titans took a narrow lead in the first five minutes. However, the Bulls soon used their review smartly with Neeraj picking up the points on a Do-or-Die Raid to bring the contest back to level terms. The Bulls and the Titans weren’t willing to concede even an inch, matching each other play by play. With a little over nine minutes left on the clock, both teams were locked at 23-23, with the Bulls’ defence looking rock solid at the timeout.


An untimely slip then caused mayhem for the Titans, as Vishal Bhardwaj and co conceded a couple of big points. From then on in, the Bulls put the foot on the pedal, and inflicted another All-Out which gave them a five-point lead, taking the score to 30-25. With the clock ticking, Rajnish and the Titans threw the kitchen sink at the opposition, but the Bulls’ defence were at their menacing best, gobbling up the points at rapid pace. The Bulls, who registered 12 tackle points in comparison to the seven of the Titans, ended their night as comfortable winners.