Hyderabad : In a tightly contested match, Storm Queens and Fire Birds produced the first tie in the Women’s Kabaddi Challenge here at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium last evening.
The Storm Queens were looking for their first win of the season but the Fire Birds held on to share the spoils. The Storm Queens skipper Tejaswini Bai had a disappointing game and scored only one points whereas her counterpart Mamtha Poojari was the top raider with six points.
It was a steady start from both teams as after five minutes the Storm Queens led 3-2. The Fire Birds captain Mamtha Poojari was sent to the bench in the fourth minute and Fire Birds raiders struggled in her absence. The Storm Queens led 5-3 after ten minutes with their defence and attack contributing equally.
Meanwhile, the Fire Birds raiders scored only on raid point and made eight empty raids in the first 12 minutes. But their captain Mamtha Poojari came on to score two points, as it was 7-7 at the end of first half.
Storm Queens led 10-8 after 19 minutes and sent Fire Birds skipper Mamtha Poojari to the bench. It was a tight game as both teams were tied at 10-10 after 22 minutes. The teams looked evenly matched with both defenses trading tackle points as it was 11-11 after 24 minutes.
Storm Queens didn’t score a single bonus point but Sakshi Kumari made a crucial do-or- die raid in the 27th minute to lead 14-12. Mamtha Poojari scored a raid point and bonus point as Fire Birds tied the game at 14-14. Both teams tried to score raid points in the last two minutes but were unable to do so. (ANI)