DAY OF THE UNDERDOGS

It was the day of the underdogs, as the favoured teams were either stretched to the limit or were beaten by their lesser opponents at the Premier League Kabaddi in Puchong.

Tamillan Kabaddi were the first team to receive a rude shock in the men’s competition, when they were almost shocked by minnows Segar in the opening match.

The experienced Tamillans were lucky to escape with a 63-62 win over their gritty opponents.

The win jolted the side as they eased to a comfortable 55-35 win over league leaders Sri Devi Tigers.

The Tigers were not expected to get past the Tamillans, but after the way the latter played in their opening game, they were hoping for an upset.

But the Tamillans tightened up their game and played a much better game to deny the Tigers.

Tamillans, however, failed to top the table as expected and stay in second spot behind new leaders Sri Devi Dragons.

The Dragons beat Kg Pandan Lions 63-30 in the first game but made heavy weather in their second match against MIG Sentosa.

MIG Sentosa took the early initiative to put the pressure on the Dragons by racing to a three point lead but failed to keep up the good work.

The Dragons raiding were below par and they had to rely on their defensive work to gain the points.

The Dragons roared back to take the game 43-24.

It was a bad day for the Lions, who ended the day with two losses, as they were also upset 38-44 by Tamillan Juniors in their second match.

The Lions trailing by 15 points clawed their way back to a 38-38 score with just three minutes to go. But they lost their composure in the closing stages to allow Tamillan Juniors to run away with the win.

Damansara Kabaddi, who will be hosting the next leg of the PLK, picked up their first win of the season. They sent Kg Pandan Tigers to their third consecutive defeat with a 54-17 win.

In another match, darkhorses Selayang were not at their best but were good enough to dispose MIG Sentosa 54-17. MIG fielded their former international M. Mahendran but his entry was not enough to spur on the side against a better organised Selayang.

The women’s competition was equally interesting, especially the match between Damansara and Segar Shines.

Both teams were involved in an intense fight with Damansara being the early aggressors. Despite taking a ten point lead, Damansara saw their lead whittled down and were stunned by a solitary point at the end of the game. Segar Shines took the game 55-54.

In the other match, Segar Brights defeated Sri Devi Angels 83-43 to move up the points table.

For more information, please log on to the tournament website at http://plkabaddi.leaguerepublic.com