Karnal (Haryana) [India], January 25 : Karnal Kings held their nerve in a dramatic contest to defeat Rohtak Royals 43-41 in Match 2 of the Kabaddi Champions League (KCL), delivering a thrilling encounter marked by momentum swings and late drama, giving a thrilling end to day 1 of the league, according to a release.
Rohtak Royals won the toss, but it was Karnal Kings who struck first as Surender Gill opened the scoring with the first raid of the match. Rohtak responded with equal intensity, and the opening exchanges saw the score tied at 3-3. Gill continued to trouble the Royals, managing a bonus point even when his raid was defended, as Karnal tightened their defence to build a crucial three-point lead.
Rohtak fought back during Karnal's do-or-die raid, executing a super tackle to claw back two points. However, Karnal's defence responded strongly during Rohtak's do-or-die raid, stopping Ankit from regaining control.
Milan Dahiya kept Rohtak alive with important raids, scoring two points and reviving a teammate, but with 10 minutes gone and the first strategic time-out approaching, Karnal led 12-9.
Soon after, Milan found himself alone on the mat once again, and Karnal's defence, marshalled by Sunil Malik, inflicted the first all-out of the match. Karnal extended their lead as Gill continued his raiding form, even as Vijay Malik tried to rally Rohtak with bonus points.
A strong spell by the Royals, including a successful super raid, brought Karnal down to one man just before halftime, but the Kings still headed into the break with a narrow 23-21 lead.
The second half began with Rohtak Royals forcing an all-out on Karnal Kings, briefly taking control of the contest. Rohtak maintained momentum through effective raids and tackles to move ahead 29-26 with 15 minutes remaining.
However, missed opportunities on do-or-die raids allowed Karnal to claw back into the match. Sahil played a key role in the attack, reducing the deficit and bringing the score to 31-31 by the third quarter.
Karnal then struck with back-to-back points from a tackle and a raid, opening up a 33-31 lead and pushing Rohtak close to a second all-out before the final strategic time-out.
The final quarter saw Milan Dahiya once again stepping up for Rohtak, producing a crucial three-point super raid to reclaim a 34-33 lead. But Surender Gill answered immediately with a successful do-or-die raid to level the scores.
Milan managed a bonus point but soon found himself isolated, as Karnal forced another all-out to regain the advantage at 38-36. In the closing moments, a critical error by Ankit Rana on Rohtak's final raid allowed Karnal Kings to seal the contest, closing out the match 43-41.