At the end of the first half Dabang Delhi led 16-13.

Dabang Delhi KC defeated Bengal Warriors 39-30 in the first match of Inter Zonal Challenge of Vivo Pro Kabaddi Season VI here on Sunday.

Naveen Kumar scored 11 raid points for Delhi whereas Ravinder Pahal contributed four tackle points. Jang Kun Lee put in an impressive second half performance to score 10 points but it wasn’t enough for the Bengal outfit.

It was a tight start to the match as both teams were leveled at 2-2 after two minutes with Bengal Warriors getting two tackle points and Dabang Delhi scoring a raid and tackle point.

Naveen and Chandran Ranjit scored a raid point each as Dabang Delhi tied the match at 4-4 after five minutes.

Maninder Singh scored with a two-point to give Bengal Warriors 8-5 lead in the eighth minute.

Dabang Delhi fought back once again to level the match at 8-8 in the 10th minute. Dabang Delhi inflicted the first all out of the match in the 11th minute to lead 12-9.

At the end of the first half Dabang Delhi led 16-13.

Bengal Warriors’ defence didn’t get going in the first half as they scored just one tackle point.

The second half saw Dabang Delhi assert further dominance as they inflicted an all out in the 23rd minute to lead 25-15.

Bengal Warriors’ were looking slightly out of sorts but made a strong attempt for a comeback.

Lee, who had a quiet first half, made crucial raid points at regular intervals. He ended up with a super 10 for Bengal Warriors.

With less than five minutes to go, Lee made a raid to reduce the deficit to 10 points.

But Dabang Delhi made no mistakes in the end to register the win.

In the next round of matches, U Mumba will face Telugu Titans while Puneri Paltan will take on Bengaluru Bulls.

Puneri Paltan edge Bengaluru Bulls 27-25

Puneri Paltan beat the Bengaluru Bulls 27-25 in the second Inter Zone Challenge match of Vivo Pro Kabaddi Season VI. It was a closely fought encounter with both teams having the chances to win it However, it was the home side which kept their nerve to emerge victorious. Akshay Jadhav scored five crucial raid points for Puneri Paltan. Nitin Tomar chipped in with four raid points. For Puneri Paltan. Pawan Sehrawat and Kashiling Adaka combined to score 14 raid points but their effort went in vain.

Bengaluru Bulls started off strongly with Pawan Sehrawat getting raid points to lead 4-1 after three minutes. Nitin Tomar scored with a two-point raid in the 8th minute to give Puneri Paltan 6-5 lead. Bengaluru forced a super tackle in the 13th minute to tie match at 9-9. Bengaluru Bulls fought back in the last couple of minutes of the first half to lead 13-10 at the break.

The second half was a close affair with both teams refusing to give an inch. Bengaluru Bulls led 22-20 after 30 minutes but Puneri Paltan refused to give up. Akshay Jadhav scored a crucial raid point in the 33rd minute to tie match at 23-23. In the 35th minute Nitin Tomar got an important raid point for Puneri Paltan to give them 25-23 lead. Both teams were level at 25-25 in the 37th minute and the match could have gone either way. Puneri Paltan defence got an important tackle point in the 40th minute to send Kashiling Adake to the bench

Puneri Paltan held their nerve and composure in the last five minutes to register an important victory

In the next round of matches, U Mumba will face Telugu Titans while Puneri Paltan will take on Tamil Thalaivas.