Premier Handball League: Rajasthan Patriots, Maharashtra Ironmen register wins

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], June 14 (ANI): Rajasthan Patriots emerged victorious in a hotly contested match against the Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh that ended 37-40 in the Patriots’ favour.

The second match of matchday six in the Premier Handball League (PHL) on Tuesday saw Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh take on the Rajasthan Patriots. The Golden Eagles had a quick start to the game as they put the Patriots under intense pressure in the opening minutes of the game. Sukhveer Singh Brar and Vikas were in fine knick as they gave the Golden Eagles an early lead, as per a press release from PHL.

However, Rajasthan came roaring back into the game thanks to a couple of stunning saves by Atuk Kumar in the Patriots’ goal that lifted his team up. Mohit Ghanghas and Robin Singh then started showcasing their skill to cut short the deficit. By the 15th minute of the game, the scores read 9 all. Despite Vikas and Sukhveer Singh playing well, Rajasthan looked more of a cohesive unit. Mohit Ghanghas of the Patriots then took over the goal-scoring responsibilities and was supported superbly by Hardev Singh and Sahil Malik to give Rajasthan a slender lead. Soon after the first half came to a close as the scores read 16-18 in favour of the Patriots.

Uttar Pradesh came out for the second half determined to wrestle back the lead from the Patriots. But Rajasthan found another gear in attack and extended their lead further thanks to the free-scoring Mohit Ghanghas, Sahil Malik, Robin Singh and Hardev Singh. While Sukhveer Singh Brar and Vikas were able to score consistently, Rajasthan’s prolific attack saw them establish a considerable lead in the second half. By the 45th minute of the game, scores read 23-30 in favour of the Patriots. Omid Reza in the Golden Eagles goal was also struggling to replicate his performance from the previous match as he was not able to make saves consistently. However, the Golden Eagles were mounting a late comeback thanks to some incredible acrobatic finishing by Sahil Rana and Jyotiram Bhushan Shinde as going into the last two minutes of the game the scores read 35-38 in favour of the Patriots. A nail-biting finish to the game beckoned. Rajasthan held onto their slender lead till the end of the game as they emerged victorious after the match ended 37-40 in their favour.

Mohit Ghanghas was the top scorer for the Rajasthan Patriots in the game with 15 goals, while Sukhveer Singh Brar was the top scorer for the Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh in the match with 12 goals. Mohit Ghanghas was adjudged to be the best player of the match for his stellar contributions in attack for the Patriots against the Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier, the Maharashtra Ironmen thrashed the Delhi Panzers in a game that ended 31-41 in their favour. It was a high-scoring tie that was thoroughly dominated by the Ironmen as Delhi struggled to deal with Ironmen’s ferocity in attack.

The Ironmen started the game in blistering fashion as the attacking trio of Chiseliov, Manjeet and Kiani were rampant in the opening minutes of the game. They were being backed up superbly by Aman and Sumit Kumar from the wings who were shooting with devastating effect as the Delhi Panzers were struggling to create chances and establish a foothold in the game. By the 15th mark, the Ironmen had established a lead as the scores read 5-8 in their favour, the Panzers were trying to get into their attacking rhythm but were floundering to score consistently.

The captain and star player of the Delhi Panzers, Deepak Ahlawat was also struggling to find his finishing touch in the first half. Thanks to the Ironmen’s fluid and blistering attack they were able extend their lead further. By the end of the first half the scores read 12-21 in favour of the Maharashtra Ironmen, while the Panzers were finding it hard to breach the Ironmen’s defence on a consistent basis in the first half.

The Panzers star players Bhupender Ghanghas and Ashok Nain were missing a lot of chances that boosted Maharashtra’s confidence early on in the second half. While the Panzers captain Ahlawat got into his attacking groove, but it was too one-dimensional and was easily being contained by the Ironmen. Chiseliov and Kiani continued scoring with venomous shots and kept extending their lead. Ahlawat was hoping to inspire his team but the rest of the Panzers team were struggling to cope with the pace of the game. Halfway through the second period, the scores read 19-31 in favour of the Ironmen who looked unstoppable going forward, while the Panzers looked deflated.

Even Naveen Deshwal in the Ironmen goal was in fine knick as he made some impressive reflex saves that seemingly dealt a massive blow to the Panzers’ confidence in the second half. Captain of Maharashtra, Chiseliov was arguably putting in the individual performance of the season so far as Delhi were struggling to deal with his power and smarts in front of goal. Soon after the game ended 31-41 in favour of the Ironmen who were thoroughly dominant in the tie as the Delhi Panzers could not cope with their sheer power and ferocity in attack.

Sumit Kumar of the Maharashtra Ironmen emerged as the top scorer for his team with 10 goals, while Ashok Nain of the Delhi Panzers was the top scorer for his team in the tie with 10 goals also. Sumit Kumar of the Ironmen was adjudged to be the best player of the match for his stunning performance in attack.