Jaipur: The Delhi Panzers despite a slow start to the game recorded a colossal victory against the Rajasthan Patriots to register their first win in the Premier Handball League (PHL). The game ended 18-34 in favour of the Panzers.
The sixth match of the Premier Handball League witnessed Rajasthan Patriots take on Delhi Panzers in an entertaining match. Both the Patriots and Panzers had a slow start to the game as despite creating numerous chances both sets of players were struggling to find their finishing touch. Rajasthan Patriots’ captain and goalkeeper Atul Kumar was in fine form as he made countless saves to not allow Delhi to establish a lead. Half way through the first half the scores read 4-5 in favour of the Panzers. However soon after the Panzers’ captain and talisman Deepak Ahlawat found his finishing touch and helped Delhi to slowly pull away from the Patriots. Jasmeet Singh and Bhupender Singh of the Panzers were backing their captain brilliantly also as the three together aided the Delhi Panzers to establish a lead as the first half ended 9-14 in their favour.
The Rajasthan Patriots came out for the second half determined to cut short the lead the Delhi Panzers held from the first half. The Patriots star players Hardev Singh, Dmitry Kireev and Arjun Lakra were slowly getting into their attacking groove. The Patriots were passing the ball fluidly as Delhi were finding it hard to close down the gaps in their defence. Despite the Patriots resurgence the Panzers found another gear in attack as they were able to score consistently. At the 45th minute mark of the game the scores read 15-24 in favour of the Panzers who had established a healthy lead going into the final 15 minutes.
Nittin Kumar Sharma of the Panzers was also playing his role as the penalty save specialist brilliantly as he saved three crucial penalties coming off the bench in the second half of the match which did not allow Rajasthan to find a way back into the game. Bhupender Ghanghas of the Panzers was also in fine knick as Ahlawat, Jasmeet and him continued combining well in attack to further extend their team’s lead. The Panzers starting goalkeeper Elmuratov Sardor proved to be pivotal for his team in this game as he made some exceptional saves throughout the game that made sure the Patriots were not able to mount a comeback. Soon after the game ended 18-34 in favour of the Delhi Panzers, who recorded the biggest win margin of the first season of the Premier Handball League so far.
For the Delhi Panzers, Bhupender Ghanghas was the top scorer for his team against the Patriots with 11 goals, while Dmitry Kireev of the Patriots emerged as the top scorer for his team in the tie with 5 goals. The Delhi Panzers goalkeeper Elmuratov Sardor was awarded the best player of the match for his countless saves in the game that proved to be pivotal for Delhi enroute their first victory in the PHL.
Final Score- Rajasthan Patriots- 18 vs Delhi Panzers- 34
