New Delhi: The second season of Patanjali Powervita Pro Wrestling League that concluded in Delhi last week, was more exciting and even more aggressive grappling as 1102 points were scored in the 18 matches that were played from January 2-19, 2017. In this, 10 wrestlers faced defeats by Points Difference while 15 were victims of Technical Superiority. For Indians, it was a proud moment as Olympic girl Sakshi Malik remained unbeaten throughout the tournament along with eight others.

Kartikeya Sharma, the founder and promoter of ProSportify, said that in 18 days, 25 matches were decided on clean wins and technical decisions. It clearly indicates that the aggression among the wrestlers has increased. The sport has become fast paced. “I am happy that Indian wrestlers got a golden opportunity to battle against the world’s best grapplers. This experience will help them in the long run,” he said.

In the final, NCR Punjab Royals defeated Haryana Hammers 5-4 to lay their hands on the trophy. It was a heart-breaking moment for the Haryana wrestlers, as for the second time in a row they had to stay content with the runner-up position.

The biggest score was registered during the semifinal match between Mumbai Maharathi and NCR Punjab Royals. In all, 114 points were scored including three technical falls. The final was the second highest scoring event, as 83 points were scored in that match.

The lowest scoring match was between Colors Delhi Sultans and Mumbai Maharathi with 33 points. However, two grapplers suffered clear defeats. During the contest between Haryana Hammers and Jaipur Ninjas, two wrestlers faced clear defeats while one was declared winner through technical fall. At the individual level, World Championship Bronze medalist Odunayo Folasade Adekuoroye in the Women’s 53 kg category won four bouts on Technical Superiority, while Rio Olympics Silver medalist Mariya Stadnik, former World Champion Abdusalam Gadisov and World Championship Silver medalist Jabrayil Hasanov won two bouts each on technical falls.

Rio Olympics bronze medalist Marwa Amri defeated three opponents with clear results while Sweden’s Sofia Mattsson defeated two. Sofia is a World Championship Silver medalist and a Rio Olympics Bronze medalist. The points are not counted when the bout is decided on a clear win.

Along with Marwa Amri of Tunisia, Magomed Kurbanaliev of Russia and Abdusalam Gadisov of Russia (all from Haryana Hammers), Ilias Bekbulatov of Russia (NCR Punjab Royals), Erica Wiebe of Canada and Jabrayil Hasanov of
Azerbaijan (both Mumbai Maharathi), Mariya Standnik and Sakshi Malik (both Colors Delhi Sultans) remained unbeaten throughout the tournament.

Sandeep Tomar of Haryana registered the biggest upset of the tournament when he defeated World and Olympic Champion Vladimir Khinchegashvili of Punjab. He has also defeated World Championship Bronze medalist Erdenebat Bekhbayar of Mongolia. Another big upset was two-time Olympian Andrey Kviatkovski of Ukraine being defeated by Haryana’s Rajneesh. The grappler also defeated national champion Bajrang Punia in the same category. Punjab’s Nirmla Devi also proved her mettle by beating Olympian Carolina Castillo Hidalgo.

National champion Jitendra also defeated Tariel Gaprindashvili of Georgia. Amongst the foreign players, Odunayo defeated Sofia Mattsson in a one-sided bout, however in the final, Sofia avenged the defeat and also ended Odunayo’s winning streak. Vinod Kumar’s win over David Tlashadze and Preetam’s win over Amit Dhankar were some of the other upsets.