Vancouver Lions edge out Royal Kings in Battle of North America in World Kabaddi League
– Man of the match: Gagandeep Singh of Vancouver Lions
– Best Raider: Gagandeep Singh of Vancouver Lions ( 18 raids)
– Best Stopper: Jairo Chavez of Vancouver Lions( 7 stops) in his maiden match
– Third win for Vancouver Lions, move to six points
– Hans Raj Hans thrills spectators at Wave WKL
Jalandhar, September 19: The two North American teams, Vancouver Lions and Royal Kings USA, which have been somewhat slow to start with were engaged in a tight clash as the third weekend of action in Wave World Kabaddi League commenced this evening. One of the highlights of the evening was the legendary singer Hans Raj Hans, who have a brilliant live performance who had come to watch kabaddi and got his show as a bonus.
Vancouver Lions, who were tied at the end of first quarter and then pulled away to a handy by the end of third, survived narrowly before registering a 54-51 win as Royal Kings put up a great fight in the closing stages. Arriving into Burlton Park in Jalandhar, home of many a legend in Indian sport, the Wave WKL was an immediate hit with the locals, who packed the stadium to capacity. Vancouver Lions now have six points from six games and moved up on the table, while Royal Kings lie at the bottom with two points from eight matches.
Khalsa Warriors, who are the only unbeaten team in the Wave WKL so far have 13 points from six wins and one tie, while Lahore Lions, United Singhs and Yo Yo Tigers have eight each. But Lahore have played only five matches, while United have played six and Yo Yo have had seven outings.
Coming into this match, Royal Kings had just one win from seven games and Vancouver Lions had two from six and were at the bottom of the table. But Friday’s match held out the promise that these two teams will soon come into their own and begin to pose problems for the higher placed teams. The opening quarter saw an very close battle with the score reading 13-13 at the end of the session and in the second Vancouver moved ahead slightly at 27-25 but there was little to separate the teams.
Vancouver Lions made the decisive break in the third quarter, which they grabbed 16-10 and took the total score to 43-35, as their raiders came into their rhythm and broke away for a series of points. Into the final session, Royal Kings fought tooth and nail in closing stages but were not able to close the gap to better than three points as Vancouver Lions won 54-51 for their third win in seven matches.
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