India, Jan 30 : In a nail biting final league encounter of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) 2026, Delhi Dangal Warriors clinched a 5-4 victory over Punjab Royals at Noida Indoor Stadium on Thursday, booking their place in the semifinals.
The tie reached a fever pitch in the penultimate 74kg men’s bout, where Player of the Match Turan Bayramov outclassed U23 Asian Champion Chandermohan 18-8, leveling the score at 4-4 and guaranteeing Delhi a top two finish. The final bout in the 125kg men’s category was awarded by forfeit, confirming the Warriors’ 5-4 triumph.
Punjab Strike First, Delhi Respond Strongly
Punjab opened the scoring in the 76kg women’s category with Priya Malik edging Anastasiya Alpyeeva 2-0. Delhi bounced back immediately, with Vafaeipour Hadi Bakhtiar dominating Sandeep Maan 20-7 in the 86kg men’s bout. Captain Sujeet Kalkal extended the lead with a 10-1 win over Anuj Kumar in the 65kg category, followed by Shubham Kaushik’s 9-0 shutout of Chirag Chhikara, taking Delhi to a 3-1 advantage.
Punjab fought back in the 57kg women’s bout as Rajnita Jangra defeated Karla Godinez Gonzalez 5-1, keeping their hopes alive. Ana Godinez then produced a stellar performance in the 62kg category, winning 11-7 over Anjli to level the tie at 3-3. Meenakshi briefly gave Punjab a 4-3 lead after dominating Saarika in the 53kg women’s contest.
Bayramov Steps Up for Delhi
With the semifinals spot hanging by a thread, Bayramov delivered a dominant 18-8 win over Chandermohan, securing the crucial fourth point. The final 125kg bout was then awarded to Delhi by forfeit, sealing the 5-4 victory.
Delhi Dangal Warriors ended the league stage in second place with six points and 24 bout wins, while Punjab Royals, already assured of a semifinal berth, finished fourth with six points and 23 wins.