Kolkata Thunderbolts spark Diwali delight with win over Hyderabad Black Hawks

Kolkata Thunderbolts secured a thrilling 3-1 victory over Hyderabad Black Hawks on Diwali night in the Prime Volleyball League. Led by Pankaj Sharma’s stellar performance, the visitors climbed to sixth place in the standings.

Hyderabad: Kolkata Thunderbolts returned to winning ways on the auspicious night of Diwali, defeating the hosts Hyderabad Black Hawks 15-9, 15-13, 9-15, 15-13 in the RR Kabel Prime Volleyball League powered by Scapia at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium here on Monday.

Pankaj Sharma was named the Player of the Match.

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With the win, the Thunderbolts climbed to 6th position in the table with 9 points.

The Hawks started with setter Preet Karan spreading his passes between Sahil Kumar and Yudi Yamamoto to test Kolkata’s defence. Pankaj Sharma proved ready, as he combined with Muhammad Iqbal to halt Hyderabad’s attacks.

The Thunderbolts appeared like a well-organised machine in defence, not allowing much room for the Hawks to get in their shots. Yudi’s spike went wayward costing the hosts a super point, and Kolkata took the lead.

Jithin acted as the mastermind behind Kolkata’s tactics, allowing Ashwal Rai and Matin Takavar to lead effective attacks. Iqbal’s dominant defending in the middle allowed Kolkata to take control of the match.

Hyderabad made changes to their formation bringing John Joseph, Guru Prashanth and Paulo Lamounier. Paulo’s block on Pankaj shifted the momentum as the home crowd went ecstatic. Niyas Abdul Salam found his rhythm. John’s block on Rahul earned a crucial super point and the Hawks won the third set opening the door to a comeback.

In the fourth set, Lamounier started setting the tempo for Hyderabad’s attacks. Pankaj and Ashwal kept making solid cross-court attacks to relieve some pressure. Kolkata regained control winning a crucial super point. Rahul’s ferocious spike earned Kolkata an important point and with Shikhar missing his shot from the middle, the Thunderbolts claimed a sensational win.