Pune, Dec 5 (PTI) UP Yoddhas and Dabang Delhi K.C. produced a gripping contest, battling to a thrilling 32-32 tie in their opening match of the Pune leg of the Pro Kabaddi League at the Balewadi Sports Complex here on Thursday.

For the UP Yoddhas, Gagan Gowda scored 13 points and Bhavani Rajput bagged 10 points, while Ashu Malik picked up yet another Super 10 for the Dabang Delhi.

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Malik and Gowda started off brilliantly for Dabang Delhi and the UP Yoddhas. It was neck-and-neck in the early exchanges, with both sides keeping up with each other and neither able to take the lead.

The first 10 points of the game were shared equally between the two sides before the UP Yoddhas picked up a slender lead courtesy Gowda.

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While Gowda and Bhavani were sharing the scoring responsibilities for the UP Yoddhas, it was Naveen Kumar and Ashu Malik, who were leading the charge for the Dabang Delhi. As the half wore on, the UP Yoddhas built on their lead, but their opponents made sure they didn't run away with the contest with some solid defending.

Rahul's Super Tackle and Himanshu's two-point raid then brought the deficit down to one point, after which the Dabang Delhi got their noses in front just before the break. At half-time, the score read 13-12 for Dabang Delhi.

Early in the second half, the 'Naveen Express' landed an ALL OUT on the UP Yoddhas, to give his side the advantage. The Dabang Delhi defence was doing well to foil the opposition attacks in the first phase of the half, while Naveen continued to pick up crucial points at the other end.

The contest ebbed and flowed, with both sets of raiders giving the defenders a fair bit to think about.

At the half-hour mark, Dabang Delhi held the lead and were looking solid. But, after a few minutes, Gagan Gowda stepped up and inflicted an ALL OUT on Dabang Delhi and that not only saw him register his third Super 10 of the season but also gave the UP Yoddhas the advantage.

Heading into the final five minutes, Dabang Delhi had a three-point lead to overcome, along with the duo of Gagan Gowda and Bhavani Rajput. With less than two minutes left in the game, Ashu Malik landed a telling blow, a two-point raid, that not only tied the scores but also gave him his 13th Super 10 of the season.

In the final minutes, Bhavani Rajput also got his Super 10. However, both sides, who gave it their all, walked off the mat with a tie to their name.

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