Pro Wrestling League : Haryana Hammers storm into semis

Haryana Hammers through to semis

It was a tale of two extremes at the Pro Wrestling League yesterday in New Delhi. Delhi Sultans’ journey came to a screeching halt whereas Haryana Hammers continued on their merry way. They storm into the semifinals of season 2 of the Pro Wrestling League by registering a third straight victory! Read on for the whole review.

Sakshi Mallik pulls out

The day started off badly for the Delhi Sultans. Star player and Rio bronze medalist Sakshi Malik opted out of the bout citing unwell health. Moreover, the fact that she was due to wrestle iconic wrestler Marwa Amri made the news even gloomier for the fans. Sakshi had earlier defeated the likes of Pooja Dhanda and Manju Kumari.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar graced the stadium with his presence at the closing stages of the match. Also interestingly, Sakshi and Marwa had shared the podium for the bronze medal. Just like Sakshi, Marwa also created history, by becoming the first medalist from her country, Tunisia.

A see-saw battle

In the first bout, Sakshi’s fiance Satyawart Kadian went down tamely to former world champion Abdusalam Gladisov. In this bout contested in the 97 kg category, Satyawart lost 9-0 to give Delhi the worst possible start. However, Rio silver medalist Mariya Stadnik pulled one back. She thrashed Haryana’s Indu Choudhary 16-0.

The lead would quickly come back to Haryana. World champion Magomed Kurbanaliev triumphed against Delhi’s David Tlashadze of Georgia in the men’s 70kg division. The see-saw battle between the two sides continued further. Alina Makhynia of Delhi tied the score 2-2 by narrowly winning against Kiran of Haryana.

Delhi bow out of the Pro Wrestling League

With everything to fight for, Delhi looked to Bajrang Punia, the costliest Indian wrestler of the PWL acution to provide an inspired effort. However, he disappointed with a defeat against Rajneesh. He lost 6-9 in a fiercely fought encounter. Thereafter, Marwa hardly broke a sweat against Apoorva Tyagi and triumphed 10-0.

With the match well and truly over, the inconsequential bout saw Sandeep Tomar go up against Erdenebat Bekhbayar. The Indian further piled up Delhi’s misery by extending the winning margin and making sure Haryana storm into the semis.