UP Warriors edge Dilli Veer for first win in PWL

After a run of one-sided contests in the first five days of the league, PWL produced a thrilling contest on Tuesday as the last bout of the day decided the winner of the match.

The deciding bout proved to be a contest between the Indian wrestlers as Satyavart Kadian of UP Warriors took on young Gurpal Singh of Dilli Veers in the men’s 97 kg category. The first round was a tight contest with both wrestlers sticking to their guns; however, Kadian used his experience in the dying seconds to win points through a take-down to go into the break with a 2-0 lead.

Gurpal produced a spirited performance in the second round to trouble the veteran. However, just like in the first round, Kadian doubled his lead with a counter to Gurpal’s leg grab to finish the bout 4-1 and to register UP Warriors’ first victory of the league.

Earlier, the match saw leads exchanging hands after every bout as wrestlers from both teams displayed impressive performances. World Championship bronze medallist Bekhbayar Erdenebat gave Dilli Veer the opening lead by defeating Jaideep 6-3 in the men’s 57kg category. UP Warriors levelled things up after the second bout with Sarita defeating Dilli Veer’s Turkish wrestler Yesilirmak Elif Jale 1-0 in the women's 58kg category.

In the men’s 125kg category, Krishan Kumar defeated UP Warriors’ Joginder to give the lead back to Dilli. With both wrestlers tied at 8-8 after the second round, the bout was awarded to Krishan Kumar for bagging most points in a stretch.

The upset of the day came in the form of Vinesh Phogat, as she defeated UP Warriors’ Kogut Oleksandra 11-0 to win the bout by technical superiority. The Indian grappler outclassed the 2010 World championship Gold medallist to win the bout for Dilli Veer.

World Championship silver medallist Purevjav Unurbat and UP Warriors’ captain Babita Kumari won their respective bouts to level the match at 3-3 before Kadian finished the suspense with a clinical win over Gurpal Singh. Unurbat defeated Dinesh Kumar 5-0 in the men’s 74kg category, while Babita edged Dilli Veers' Liliya Horishna 14-12 in another thrilling match of the day.

PWL now moves to the Haryana leg, where Haryana Hammers will take on Bengaluru Yodhas at the Hyatt Regency in Gurgaon on Wednesday night.

UP Warriors 4-3 Dillii Veer (in order of bouts)

Jaideep 3-6 Bekhbayar Erdenebat (M 57kg)

Sarita 1-0 Yesilirmak Elif Jale (W 58kg)

Joginder 8-8 Krishan Kumar (M 125kg) (Winner: Krishan Kumar)

Kogut Oleksandra 0-11 Vinesh Phogat (W 48kg)

Purevjavyn Unurbat 5-0 Dinesh Kumar (M 74kg)

Babita Kumari 14-12 Liliya Horishna (W 53kg)

Satyavart Kadian 4-1 Gurpal Singh (M97kg)

Locked weights: W 69kg, M65kg