Dabang Delhi’s Vijay Malik had played second fiddle to Naveen Kumar all season long. But in the final, he outscored Naveen 14 to 13.
Dabang Delhi team celebrates after winning the final of season 8 of Pro Kabaddi League. Image: Twitter/@ProKabaddi
When Vijay Malik walked into raid in the 28th minute, his team Dabang Delhi trailed the Patna Pirates 24-20 in the final of Pro Kabaddi League 2021-22 on Friday. Patna, who had come into the final as the most complete team in the League, had been in lead until then and had just started rolling towards their fourth title.
But Malik flipped the script with one moment of brilliance. He danced around Patna’s high-line of defence and stole a bonus from under Shubham Shinde at right corner. Shinde came in with a weak, half-hearted tackle, which Malik kicked off, and tagged Mohammedreza Chiyaneh as he flew to the mid-line. It was the first Super Raid of the night and saw Delhi close the lead to 24-23.
The momentum had shifted. In the next two minutes, Delhi edged ahead and Naveen Kumar and Vijay picked up points consistently to make sure they stay ahead. With less than four minutes left on the clock, Vijay conjured another Super Raid against a Patna defence that has outmuscled rivals all season long. The two three-point raids were proved crucial as Delhi defeated Patna 37-36.
Vijay had played second fiddle to Naveen all season long. But in the final, he outscored Naveen 14 to 13. He had a total of 12 raids, zero unsuccessful. The 27-year-old’s ice-cool performance typified Dabang Delhi’s run to their first Pro Kabaddi title.
The 2019 finalists had been near-invincible in the first half of the season, flying to a seven-match unbeaten streak. Naveen played a big part, scoring a Super 10 in each of those clashes. During that initial phase, the 21-year-old raider gave his team, especially the defence, the necessary time and space to come together as a unit.
Delhi came into the League with the most experienced defence line-up, with names like Joginder Narwal (captain), Manjeet Chhillar, Jeeva Kumar and Sandeep Narwal in their ranks. Though these stalwarts of the League have played more than 100 games each, they still needed some time to forge an understanding and work together.
But after Naveen struggled with a knee injury, the defence, especially Manjeet stepped up to the plate. Vijay took on the role of a lead raider with panache, making sure Delhi always stayed in the hunt for the top two spots. Even when Naveen was out due to injury and Delhi suffered a wobble, there was no panic.
Vijay Malik in action during the final of Pro Kabaddi League 2021-22 season. Image: Twitter/@ProKabaddi
The seniors in the team gave the younger players the license to go out and play their game while they shouldered the responsibility. During the process, they unearthed the talented Krishan Dhull. With the youngster more comfortable in the right corner position, former India defender Sandeep Narwal, who usually mans the position shifted to cover position. Whenever Joginder was not on the mat, Manjeet would shift to the crucial left corner position to make sure the team didn’t leak points.
The fluidity of the defence, and their prowess, ensured that the raiders were never thrown into desperate situations. Unlike Patna, Delhi rarely looked intimidating on the mat and didn’t score as many big wins as their opponents in the final (Patna finished the League stage with a score difference of 120, Delhi with -3). But they adapted better than most and got the job done.
Even though Naveen is only 21 years of age, he has a steady head and rarely lets the occasion get to him. His much-anticipated battle against Chiyaneh in the final was a case in point. While Naveen kept picking away at the defence and patiently waited for his opportunities, the hot-headed Irani defender made a few costly lapses. In the second half, with Delhi in the ascendancy, he stepped outside the lines out of sheer frustration and had to walk to the bench. The raider had tagged the left-in, which meant the lobby was active. But the Iranian, unaware of the touch, stepped into the lobby and thought he was out of bounds. Rather than waiting for the umpires to call it, he walked out of the court, head in hands.
Chiyaneh earned only two tackle points in the final and had five unsuccessful tackles to his name.
In fact, the defence of both teams failed to deliver on Friday. Patna and Delhi had only four tackle points each on the night. The three-time champions Patna failed to make an impact in the last few minutes of the match as both their raiders – Sachin Tanwar (10 points) and Guman Singh (9 points)–were out and could not be revived. Patna’s tactical rigidity saw them leave Monu Goyat on the bench, rather than come in as a substitute.
At the other end, Vijay and the defence made sure Naveen was quickly brought into play. Vijay also tackled Patna’s Neeraj Kumar to inflict the only all-out of the match.
Delhi’s two raiders not only hunt in a pack on the mat, they are good friends off court as well and were roommates for the three months of Pro Kabaddi’s bio-secure bubble.
“Vijay is our chupa rustum,” Delhi coach Krishan Kumar Hooda said during the post-match press conference. “Naveen has worked very hard to make this team the champions. But before the final, Vijay said, ‘I will win the match for you.'”
A farmer’s son, Vijay knows all about fitting into a championship unit. He first came into Pro Kabaddi as a NYP (New Young Player) for the Patna Pirates and was in the playing seven when the Pirates won their third title in 2017. He lived under the shadow of Pardeep Narwal in Patna and now Naveen Kumar in Delhi. But on Friday, when it mattered the most, Vijay stepped in and stole the show.
Deepti Patwardhan is a freelance sports writer based in Mumbai.
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