Delhi Waveriders brought its goodly supporters the much-needed warmth on a chilly Sunday evening at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium with a 3-1 victory over Dabang Mumbai here.
Yuvraj Walmiki, man of the match Lloyd Norris and Danish Mujtaba created unstinted pressure with their pacy forays as Waveriders came into their own.
Walmiki sounded an early threat when he hit over from close and a quick penalty corner for Waveriders showed the team in good control before Norris slammed the ball in with an angular shot.
In the second quarter, a drag flick by Rupinder Pal Singh sneaked in through a crafty deflection by Simon Child. A 2-0 half time scoreline in favour of Waveriders aptly indicated the trend. Mumbai returned with a resolve, pressing from the flanks. Glenn Turner worked tirelessly for Mumbai, earning the first two penalty corners, the second a goalline save leaving the visiting team frustrated. But the experienced Arjun Halappa was well-placed in front of the goal to tap in a deflection from the goalkeeper to reduce the margin.
A fierce reverse-flick by Akashdeep Singh sealed Mumbai’s fate in the final quarter, giving the host, without Sardar Singh in this match, a deserving victory even as Mumbai earned a few opportunities.
After four matches, Waveriders’ tally stands at ten points with Mumbai at six.
The result: Delhi Waveriders 3 (Lloyd Norris, Simon Child, Akashdeep Singh) bt Dabang Mumbai 1 (Arjun Halappa).
