Premier Handball League: Telugu Talons beat Delhi Panzers 26-23

Telugu Talons beat Delhi Panzers 26-23 in Match 16 of the Premier Handball League match at Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium

Jaipur: The Telugu Talons beat Delhi Panzers 26-23 in Match 16 of the Premier Handball League match at Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium, here on Thursday. The match was a gruelling tactical battle, which was a delight to watch for the neutrals.

Telugu and Delhi started the game at a blistering pace as both teams were looking to establish a lead. Both teams were evenly matched in the opening minutes of the game. However, a couple of saves from Rahul TK in the Talons goal saw his team take the lead.

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Naseeb and Kailash Patel were being fed dangerous balls by Davinder Singh Bhullar and were scoring with venomous shots from the wings, which saw the Talons extend their lead. The Panzers came back into the game as they got into their attacking groove thanks to Deepak Ahlawat, Bhupender Ghanghas and Jasmeet Singh who scored back-to-back goals to cut short the deficit.

By the 15th minute mark, the scores read 6-5 in favour of the Talons. The pace of the game slowed down a little from there on as both teams were wrestling to take control of the game and it became a tactical battle. As the teams were exchanging blow for blow Telugu struggled to establish an unassailable lead. Soon after, the half ended as the scores read 13-10 in favour of the Telugu Talons.

The Delhi Panzers came out for the second half determined to cut short the slender lead the Telugu Talons held. Bhupender Ghanghas, Deepak Ahlawat and Ashok Nain were passing the ball fluidly and were finding the back of the net with ease. Nittin Kumar Sharma in the Delhi goal was also doing his bit as he made some amazing saves to allow the Panzers to find a way back into the game.

Halfway through the second half the scores read 19-18 in favour of the Talons, who were struggling to find the back of the net in the second period. However, the introduction of the Talons captain Shubham Sheoran saw his team wrestle back control of the game.

Naseeb, Davinder, Anil Khudia and Shubham were combining expertly for the Talons in attack which saw them establish a considerable lead going into the last 10 minutes of the game. The Panzers were seemingly running out of steam as the game went on, while the Talons were successfully able to up the ante.

The Talons keeper Rahul TK made some spectacular saves in the last 5 minutes of the game to make sure his team held onto their lead. His saves in the game also saw him become the first keeper in the PHL to make 100 saves. Soon after the game ended 26-23 in favour of the Telugu Talons.

Kailash Patel of the Telugu Talons was the top scorer for his team with 7 goals, while Bhupender Ghanghas was the top scorer for the Panzers with 8 goals in the match. Rahul TK of the Telugu Talons was adjudged to be the best player of the game for his numerous saves in the game.