Mohali, October 3: California Eagles stepped up the tempo in the final quarter and outplayed Royal Kings USA in the last sessions to register a 64-59 win in the Wave World Kabaddi League in Mohali on Friday. It gave California Eagles their fifth win in the Wave WKL and carried them to 10 points from 10 games, which included five wins and five losses, while Royal Kings stayed at the bottom with two points from 11 games.
Virender of California Eagles recieving Best Stopper of the match
California Eagles are now tied for the third place alongside Lahore Lions and United Singhs, though Lahore has played only seven matches.
After trailing by a single point in the first quarter, California Eagles pulled level at 30-30 in the second, but Royal Kings once again forged ahead at 46-43 by the end of the third quarter. But into the final session, California Eagles turned the tables as their stoppers Virender (3) and Mikhail Jamaal Abdul Latif (2) thwarted the attempts of Royal Kings’ raiders. That put alongside the success of their own raiders saw California Eagles win the last quarter 21-13 and with it the match 64-59.
It was a match in which California Eagles not only managed four successful raids more than their rivals, but they also had four stops more for an eight-point margin. California converted 51 of their 61 raids for a success rate of more than 83 per cent.
Gurlal Singh of Royal Kings USA was the star raider of the first quarter, during which the teams were almost evenly matches.
In the second session, Virender Bowler, who was later adjudged the Best Stopper of the match with seven stops, helped California Eagles fights back in equalize the scores.
Mikhail Jamaal, also called ‘Meek Seattle’ came to the fore with his stops for California Eagles, but Yadvinder Singh and Iqbal Singh Thiara of Royal Kings USA also had a great session in the defence. Gurlal Singh of Royal Kings was the star raider as his team went ahead 46-43.
But in the final quarter, California Eagles led by stoppers Virender Bowler and Mikhail Jamaal took charge and carried their team to a fine win, despite the best efforts of raider Gurlal Ganaur, who fought valiantly for Royal Kings. Gurlal had consolation of being adjudged the Man of the Match with 19 successful raids.
| Results (Quarter by quarter) (Total points) | ||
| Quarters | California Eagles | Royal Kings USA |
| First Quarter | 14 | 15 |
| Second Quarter | 30 | 30 |
| Third Quarter | 43 | 46 |
| Fourth Quarter | 64 | 59 |
Team position after Match No 41:
| Team | Played | Won | Lost | Draw | Points |
| Khalsa Warriors | 11 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 21 |
| Punjab Thunder | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 11 |
| Lahore Lions | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| United Singhs | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| California Eagles | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| Vancouver Lions | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| Yo Yo Tigers | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| Royal Kings USA | 11 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 2 |
Wave World Kabaddi League fixtures in Mohali:
| City | Match No. | Date | Day | Team A | Team B | Week No | Time |
| Mohali | 42 | 4-Oct | Sat | Royal Kings USA | Lahore Lions | 18:00 | |
| Mohali | 43 | Sat | Vancouver Lions | Yo Yo Tigers | 19:30 | ||
| Mohali | 44 | 5-Oct | Sun | Vancouver Lions | Lahore Lions | 16:00 | |
| Mohali | 45 | Sun | California Eagles | Punjab Thunder | 9 | 18:00 | |
| Mohali | 46 | Sun | Khalsa Warriors | United Singhs | 19:30 |
Tags: California Eagles, Kabaddi, Mohali, Royal Kings, Sports, The Sports Mirror, Wave WKL, Wave World Kabaddi League, WKL, World Kabaddi League
