Ahmedabad Defenders overcame a stern Calicut Heroes test in the second semi-final of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League Powered by A23 Season 2 to book a place in the ultimate showdown for a second successive campaign.
For a team that only finished a point behind league leaders Kolkata Thunderbolts in the standings, a performance such as this in the playoffs was hardly a surprise. On Sunday, though, they face a rather tricky opponent in Bengaluru Torpedoes.
The Torpedoes have arguably been the most unpredictable unit this season, meaning that if the Defenders have any deficiency, their opponent will make sure they exploit it to the fullest.
On paper, Ahmedabad have been the better side this season, having lost just two games until now. However, the magnitude of a final is such that all bets are off and there simply isn’t going to be a favourite.
Now that the Defenders will have another chance to have a go at the title, let’s take a look at how their season panned out.
A brutal start to a near-perfect season
Ahmedabad Defenders’ start to the new Prime Volleyball League season wasn’t exactly a perfect one. The team took on Hyderabad Black Hawks on February 6 and succumbed to the attacking excellence of Guru Prasanth, eventually losing the game 2-3. The Hyderabad captain single-handedly exploited Ahmedabad’s frailties which, in fact, was a learning curve for the team.
The unbeaten run
Ahmedabad Defenders worked on their timidity to an extent that they went on to win each of their next five encounters. Starting off with a 3-2 win against Bengaluru Torpedoes, the team extended their run with a 4-1 victory over Mumbai Meteors, a 5-0 thrashing of Chennai Blitz and 3-2 wins over Calicut Heroes and Kochi Blue Spikers respectively.
One thing that was common during all these outings was the return of Angamuthu Ramaswamy. The 28-year-old breached the double-figure mark in three games. His performance against the Meteors, in particular, was applauded by all as he returned with a whopping 22 individual points.
Ending the league stage with a defeat
Ahmedabad’s end to the league stage games was a bit tough to swallow. Taking the court against Kolkata Thunderbolts, the team gave away the first three sets to assure their opponents the top-place finish in the league table. They did get consolation wins in the final two sets, but a place at the top was lost.
Ahmedabad Defenders results in RuPay Prime Volleyball League Powered by A23 Season 2:
League stage:
AMD 2:3 HBH
AMD 3:2 BT
AMD 4:1 MM
AMD 5:0 CB
AMD 3:2 CH
AMD 3:2 KBS
AMD 2:3 KTB
Semi-final
AMD 3:1 CH
