Delhi Dangal Warriors Clinch PWL Semis Berth with Thrilling 5-4 Victory

Delhi's decisive moment arrived in the eighth tie of the match, where Player of the Match Turan Bayramov produced a dominant performance to outclass U23 Asian Champion Chandermohan, and level the tie at 4-4, effectively securing Delhi's place in the last four. Earlier, Fighter of the Match Ana Godinez kept Punjab firmly in contention with a high-quality win in the women's 62kg contest, ensuring the contest went down to the wire.

Punjab Royals, already assured of a semifinal berth with six points, began the tie strongly in the 76kg women's category as Priya Malik edged Anastasiya Alpyeeva 2-0 in a disciplined tactical contest. Delhi responded emphatically in the 86kg men's category through Vafaeipour Hadi Bakhtiar, who overwhelmed Sandeep Maan with relentless offense to register a commanding 20-7 win and bring the tie level.

Delhi then surged ahead as captain Sujeet Kalkal delivered a composed 10-1 victory over Anuj Kumar in the 65kg men's tie, before Shubham Kaushik followed up with a clinical 9-0 shutout against Chirag Chhikara to extend Delhi's advantage to 3-1. Punjab pulled one back in the 57kg women's category through Rajnita Jangra, who dictated proceedings against Karla Godinez Gonzalez to claim a 5-1 win.

The momentum swung again in the 62kg women's bout, where Ana Godinez produced one of the standout contests of the night. Godinez opened up a decisive lead with a massive five-point throw in the first period and, despite resistance from Anjli in the second period, held her nerve to secure an 11-7 win and level the team score at 3-3.

Punjab then moved ahead for the first time since the opening contest as Meenakshi dominated Saarika in the 53kg women's contest, forcing an injury stoppage after building a commanding lead to make it 4-3 in Punjab's favour.

With Delhi's semifinal hopes hanging in the balance, Turan Bayramov delivered when it mattered most. Facing U23 Asian Champion Chandermohan in the 74kg men's bout, Bayramov absorbed early pressure before unleashing a scoring burst of takedowns and exposures across both periods, powering to an emphatic 18-8 victory to draw Delhi level at 4-4 and confirm qualification.

The final bout was decided by forfeit in the 125kg men's category, handing Ronak the win and sealing a 5-4 triumph for Delhi Dangal Warriors.

With this result, Delhi secures their berth in the semifinal and second-place finish with six points and 24 bout wins, while Punjab Royals also advance, having already confirmed qualification earlier with six points. They finished fourth in the league stage with 23 bout wins.

On Friday, table-toppers Haryana Thunders will take on Punjab Royals in the first semifinal on Day 14 of PWL 2026.

- IANS