Delhi Capitals win to stay alive

The ongoing United Basketball Alliance (UBA) Pro Basketball League Season 2 saw the second round of semifinals action at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on Tuesday in which North division toppers Delhi Capitals kept their campaign alive with a win over Mumbai Challengers.

The team with the best league stage record, Delhi Capitals, entered the game on the back foot after losing the opening game of the series on Monday. Hoping for two off days before the finals, Mumbai Challengers were eager to close out the series. Ranbir Singh picked up from where he left off in Game 1, opening his team’s scoring with a strong drive.

But his 3-point shooting was below par, which hurt Mumbai’s offense. For Delhi, forward Smithin Setu put up initial points, cleaning up after his teammates in the paint. Delhi point guard Sachin Sharma nailed a couple of transition buckets to keep the scoring even. Gritty defense from both teams resulted in a low scoring first quarter with Mumbai up 12 to 11.

In the second quarter, Mumbai’s super-sub Brar Dildar came off the bench and hit all three of his 3-point attempts. Gagandeep continued to hit shots from inside the paint and Mumbai seemed poised to run away with the game. But guard Vinay Kaushik and forward Ajay Pratap Singh knocked down a couple of 3-pointers for Delhi to go with strong drives to the basket, keeping their team in the game.

Leading by 6 points entering the final period, Vinay Kaushik stepped for Delhi, ferociously driving to the basket and finishing in the paint or earning his points at the freethrow line. Apart from Gagandeep, other Mumbai players struggled on the offensive end. Delhi’s 19 offensive rebounds led to 21 second chance points, hurting Mumbai down the stretch. The capital team ended up winning by double-digits 72 to 61 and evened the series at 1-1. Vinay Kaushik was awarded a cash prize of Rs 25,000 for his play.