HYDERABAD: Bengal Warriors started their campaign with an emphatic 48-17 victory over UP Yoddha, here at the Gachibowli stadium on Wednesday.
Warriors were given a huge boost early on, seeing UP Yoddha’s star player Rishank Devadiga’s name missing from the starting list, who was forced to sit out due to a niggle.
At the start of the match, UP Yoddha did not allow their opponents to take advantage of Rishank’s absence, quickly rushing to a 4-0 lead in the first five minutes of the half.
Bengal Warriors’ captain Maninder Singh then took it upon himself to open his team’s account, scoring two points with a brilliant raid.
UP were awarded two points after Maninder was thought to be Super Tackled by the defense, but the decision was overturned with Maninder getting the point.
UP’s other star raider Monu Goyat then was taken out in a do-or-die raid by the Bengal defense who began to get their act together.
Bengal Warriors then started to push the accelerator, getting a 7-6 lead, and inflicting the first all-out on their opponents to go up 11-7 with six minutes to end the half.
Maninder was in the action again, going for a do-or-die raid and returning with two points in the process.
Bengal then rode on the confidence they found to end the first half with a handy 17-9 lead.
NABIBAKSH’S SHINES
They strode out with a spring in their steps for the second half, with only three UP defenders on the mat to begin the half. Bengal’s Mohammad Nabibaksh then took out two defenders, and in the second minute of the half, Bengal inflicted a second all-out on Yoddha.
UP finally scored a raid point through Goyat, but Prapanjan made full use of Sachin Kumar’s error soon after to bag two more points.
The first Super Raid came from Iranian star Nabibaksh, who left three UP defenders beaten for pace to take the lead to 30-12, and another all-out left the UP team reeling.
Sachin then committed another schoolboy error and could not escape Maninder’s clutches, giving away another easy point to Bengal.
Bengal Warriors kept chipping away, and with just over three minutes to go, Nabibaksh loomed large again on UP’s defense, getting four points and inflicting yet another all-out, the fourth of the match, to take a 45-17 lead.
Bengal Warriors closed out the match, just two shy of 50 points for the match. Nabibaksh had a PKL debut to remember, returning a ‘Super 10’, while he was ably supported by his captain Maninder with nine points and defender Baldev Singh’s seven points.
