Punjab wrest PWL title
Punjab Royals produced a dramatic comeback to edge out Haryana Hammers 5-4 in the final of the second edition of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium on Thursday.
Haryana, who were beaten to the title in the final of the inaugural edition by the now renamed Mumbai Garudas, saw the trophy slip narrowly from their grasp for the second year in succession.
In a nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat contest, Haryana took the lead a couple of times with Punjab staging a dramatic comeback on both occassions.
With the tie locked at 4-4, the fate of the championship boiled down to the final bout between Punjab’s Jitendra and Sumit Sehrawat of Harayna in the men’s 74 kilogram division.
Jitendra dominated right from the start to win 12-1 and gift the title to Punjab.
With Jitendra leading 2-1 early in the second period, an injury to Sumit forced a temporary stoppage for medical attention to the Haryana wrestler.
Jitendra grabbed the initiative immediately after the restart and opened up an 8-1 lead. That virtually killed off the contest as Jitendra executed another takedown in the final seconds to take a comfortable win as the Punjab squad and supporters erupted in celebration.