Nirmala rules, Punjab down Mumbai to enter Pro-Wrestling League final
NEWDELHI:: Punjab Royals scored a thrilling 5-4 win over Mumbai Maharathi to set up a title clash with Haryana Hammers in the Pro Wrestling League being held here at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium.
Unfazed by the strength of the Mumbai side that had Rio Olympics champion Erica Wiebe in its ranks, the Punjab team put up an inspiring show with foreign imports like Odunayo Folasade Adekuoroye, Vladimir Khinchegashvili and Ilias Bekbukatov playing key role.
NECK AND NECK
The semifinal went neck and neck just like their league stage clash which Punjab had won 4-3.
Mumbai took early lead with Azerbaijan wrestler Jabrayil Hasanov putting in a dominating performance to beat Jitendra.
Punjab hit back through Glasgow Commonwealth Games gold medallist Odunayo Adekuoroye, who defeated Mumbai’s Lalita Sehrawat 16-0 in the women’s 53kg bout.
Rio Olympics gold medallist Vladimer Khinchegashvili of Georgia took Punjab into lead by winning the 57kg bout against Mumbai’s Rahul Aware.
However, Wiebe, the reigning Olympic champion in women’s 75kg, brought Mumbai back to level.
The Canadian wrestler, who is captaining the Mumbai outfit, came back from being 0-1 behind in the opening bout to win 2-1 in the second round.
The next bout was over in just one minute and 17 seconds as Russian grappler Ilias Bekbukatov finished the proceedings in a clinical fashion with a 17-0 win via technical superiority over Vikas of Mumbai in men’s 65kg, to give Punjab a 3-2 lead.
But Mumbai hit back through Pavlo Oliynik who trumped Krishan Kumar of Punjab.
The climax of the tie reached in the seventh bout featuring Nirmala Devi of Punjab and Carolina Castillo Hidalgo in the women’s 48kg. Till then, both the teams were level at 3-all.
After trailing in the initial stages of the contest, the Punjab grappler powered her way to the top scoring two vital points to stun her more fancied rival from Colombia.
The score was 2-all, but Nirmala was declared the winner. After this win, the Punjab team gained a 4-3 lead over its rivals and it was enough to spark off celebrations in the camp.
In the penultimate round, Punjab Royals cemented their berth in the final when Pankaj outclassed Pritam in the 70kg category. The final will be held on Thursday.
Meanwhile, yoga guru Baba Ramdev, who had challenged Beijing Olympics silver medallist Andrey Stadnik for a friendly bout, got a round of applause after he was declared outright winner (10-0) over the Ukrainian.