Kabaddi Champions League: Rohtak Royals keep semis hopes alive despite close loss to Sonipat Stars

Sonipat (Haryana) [India], February 5 (ANI): Rohtak Royals, representing the city of Rohtak, went down 43-47 in a hard-fought contest against Sonipat Stars in their seventh fixture of the inaugural Kabaddi Champions League.
The Royals stayed neck and neck throughout the contest, combining aggressive raiding with disciplined defence, and mounted a late comeback, only for key tackle points at crucial junctures to swing the contest in Sonipat's favour. Despite the narrow defeat, Rohtak Royals remain in contention for a semi-final spot. For the Royals, Vijay Malik and Milan Dahiya emerged as the top scorers, registering Super Raids and finishing with 14 and 11 points respectively, while Ankit Rana added seven points, as per KCL.
Rohtak Royals drew first blood through Vijay Malik, who opened the scoring in the first minute and added another raid soon after. Sonipat Stars responded by exploiting a brief defensive lapse, moving ahead 7-3 by the sixth minute as unforced errors crept into the Royals' play. Ankit Rana then sparked a revival with a lone-warrior raid that brought Sandeep Deswal back into the contest and dismissed Nitin, but another costly phase resulted in an All-Out in the ninth minute, leaving Rohtak trailing 12-7.
Vijay Malik responded immediately with a raid point and followed it up with a sharp defensive effort in the 11th minute, pinning down Ayan to close the gap. After the timeout, Ankit Rana's successful raid and a crucial do-or-die tackle on Mohit brought the Royals within touching distance at 11-12. Despite sustained pressure and regular revivals, Sonipat Stars capitalised on stronger tackle points and late All-Outs to head into the break with a 20-16 advantage.
Rohtak Royals came out with renewed intensity after the break. Milan Dahiya got them going in the 21st minute, before Ankit Rana and Aaryan combined effectively to reduce the gap to 24-20 by the 23rd. Momentum swung decisively in Rohtak's favour when Milan produced a Super Raid in the 25th minute, followed by a collective tackle on Ayan, and the sustained pressure resulted in an All-Out in the 27th minute, narrowing the scoreline to 32-30.
The Royals kept the chase alive in the closing stages as Vijay Malik delivered crucial raids in the 31st and 33rd minutes to cut the deficit to 36-40, with Milan Dahiya continuing to add valuable points. A timely bonus and Aaryan's ankle-hold tackle kept Rohtak in the hunt, but despite a late surge led by Sandeep Narwal and Milan in the final moments, time ran out as the match ended 47-43. The Royals dominated raids 34-30, but Sonipat's tackle points proved decisive. (ANI)