Iranian defender and Bengal Warriorz’s skipper Fazel Atrachali created history as he became the first-ever defender to achieve 500 tackle points in the history of the Pro Kabaddi League.
Playing against defending champions Puneri Paltan, on Tuesday, Fazel tackled Mohit Goyat in the 18th minute of the first half and reached the milestone.
The Iranian maverick has scored 500 tackle points from 469 successful tackles in 173 games he has played across the seasons of the Pro Kabaddi League.
While Fazel achieved the milestone, his team played a tie against defending champions Puneri Paltan.
๐๐ช๐ก๐ฉ๐๐ฃ ๐จ๐ช๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ข๐๐๐ฎ all over ๐
Fazel Atrachali locks ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ in PKL ๐
LIVE NOW ๐ Bengal Warrioz ๐ Puneri Paltan | #ProKabaddionStar pic.twitter.com/UPQ8IIunwj
โ Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 29, 2024
For the Bengal Warriorz, who registered their second consecutive tie, it was Sushil Kambrekar who top-scored with 10 points.
It was a cautious start from both the Bengal Warriorz and the Puneri Paltan in the initial minutes, which meant points were hard to come by. However, after the early exchanges, it was the Puneri Paltan who pulled away with a three-point lead, with Mohit Goyat leading the charge.
After that though the Bengal Warriorz fought back and stormed into the lead with Praveen Thakur and captain Fazel Atrachali leading the way. Midway through the first half though the Bengal Warriorz had picked up a 1-point lead in what was turning out to be a tight game. But in the final minutes of the half, Akash Shinde and Abinesh Nadarajan turned on the heat and the Puneri Paltan stormed into a 5-point lead.
With 2 minutes left in the first half, Fazel Atrachali tackled Mohit Goyat and that saw him reach the 500 tackle points mark in the PKL, a feat that has never been achieved before this in the history of the competition. Right after, the teams went into the half-time break with Puneri Paltan leading 15-12.
After the break, the Puneri Paltan further extended their lead with Gaurav Khatri landing an all-out on Nitin Dhankhar, which put further pressure on Fazel and co. In response, Sushil Kambrekar inflicted an ALL OUT on the Puneri Paltan which brought the Bengal Warriorz right back into the contest. At the midway stage in the second half, the Bengal Warriorz trailed by 4 points. With five minutes to go, Sushil Kambrekar completed his Super 10, and the Bengal Warriorz continued to fight on.
The fightback continued for the Bengal Warriorz, and with a couple of minutes to go they took a slender 1-point lead. However, in the final minute, the Puneri Paltan leveled things up at 32-32 and thatโs how the contest ended.
Bengaluru Bulls register first win of the season
The Bengaluru Bulls pulled off a comeback that will be remembered for quite a while, as they defeated the Dabang Delhi K.C. side in grand style to register their first win of PKL Season 11.
The Dabang Delhi K.C. side had the better start of the two sides and had quickly moved into the lead within the first minutes. The Bengaluru Bulls were finding it hard to break through their opponents, and the Dabang Delhi K.C. side continued to build on.
As the first half progressed, Ashu Malik was pulling all the strings for the Dabang Delhi K.C. side, and they moved into a 3-point lead around the midway stage of the first half. With 8 minutes to go in the half, Brijendra Chaudhary inflicted an all-out on the Bengaluru Bulls which further extended the Dabang Delhi K.C.โs advantage.
The Dabang Delhi K.C. side was dominating the contest and within the first 15 minutes, Ashu Malik had completed his Super 10, while the Bengaluru Bulls were still finding it difficult to rake in the points. At the halftime break, the Dabang Delhi K.C. led 22-14.
After the break, the Bengaluru Bulls came out of the blocks stronger and were beginning to mount a fightback. In the initial minutes of the second half, the momentum was with the Bengaluru Bulls, but soon enough the Dabang Delhi K.C. side got their act going as Sandeep and Vinay started picking up crucial points. At the half-hour mark in the game, the Dabang Delhi K.C. led by 27-22.
From then on in, the Bengaluru Bulls with Jai Bhagwan scoring a Super 10, started to push the Dabang Delhi K.C. side and the contest got really close as the deficit between the two sides was at 2 points. With 2 minutes left, Pardeep Narwal stepped up and inflicted a crucial ALL OUT on the Dabang Delhi K.C., which gave the Bengaluru Bulls a slender 1-point lead, giving them hope of a much-needed win. The comeback was well and truly on.
The Bengaluru Bulls did not disappoint, as they held on for the win. For the Bengaluru Bulls, the stars of the show were Jai Bhagwan with 11 points and Pardeep Narwal with 7 points.