Indian Wells Masters Tennis Tournament

Nandagopal Subramaniyam was named the Player of the Match for his eye-catching performance. Chennai Blitz took charge with Akhin leading the middle with his spirited attacks. But middle blocker LM Manoj levelled the playing field for Ahmedabad Defenders with ferocious blocks. Danial Moatazedi's hard spikes gave Chennai no breathing room.

The 'Arjun Reddy' star, who is a co-owner of the volleyball franchise, spoke on his reasons for association with the Black Hawks' - and talked about his love for the sport. I love volleyball and I love Hyderabad. This league is going to be one of the most-watched leagues in the country. It is going to be a massive source of entertainment.

Angamuthu has been the key player for the Defenders this season. But the star performer insists that Chennai are an equally strong side despite not winning for the past two games. "We do not think about how the teams have performed before - and we just focus on our strategies and we just focus on our own game. Chennai are a strong team and they are equally capable.

For his tactful performance, Srajan Shetty was named the player of the match as he helped Bengaluru coast to victory at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on Friday night. Bengaluru relied on Srajan's blocks and Ibin Jose's attacks to get an early lead. Taking a leaf out of Kolkata Thunderbolts' guidebook, Erin Varghese started targetting Tsvetelin Tsvetanov.

Jerome Vinith was named the Player of the Match as Calicut completed a hat-trick of wins. A triple-man block led by Jerome provided Calicut Heroes the early advantage. With Jose Antonio Sandoval's threat looming, Kolkata skipper Ashwal Rai needed to be alert. Targetting Cody Caldwell from the service line, Calicut tried to prevent the Thunderbolts' attacker.

For his impactful performance, Ibin Jose was named the Player of the Match. Targetting libero Midhun in the middle, Chennai Blitz took advantage as Vyshak Renjith made early errors. Chennai's defence tackled the threat of Tsvetelin Tsvetanov as Tushar made tremendous blocks. As Tsvetanov started getting more of the ball, Bengaluru found a way back.

The 25-year-old outside hitter who hails from Phoenix, Arizona, USA, was excited to say hi to the young fan and shook his hand. As soon as Brandon left for the dressing room, the young kid took out his phone and took a selfie of his hand and screamed, "Bro, Brandon shook hands with me!" Speaking on the reactions he is receiving from the fans in India, Brandon said that he is grateful that he is able to expand the volleyball community in India and wants to be a role model for the young kids.

The 4-1 victory (15-10, 12-15, 15-13, 15-9, 15-9) put Bengaluru on the fourth spot amongst the eight teams in the points table but more importantly instilled the much-required confidence in the star-studded team before they head for away matches in Hyderabad and Kochi. The first set saw the home team dominating the proceedings from the word go, and established an early 4-2 lead.

With M Ashwin Raj and Jerome Vinith leading the scoring charts, the Calicut Heroes beat the Hyderabad Black Hawks 15-14, 15-12, 15-11, 4-15, 15-14. Ashwin was named the Player of the Match. With the threat of Jerome Vinith and Jose Antonio Sandoval looming, Hyderabad began cautiously, focusing on avoiding block errors.

The Thunderbolts will enter into the match with two consecutive wins against the Hyderabad Black Hawks and Ahmedabad Defenders, while the Spikers, will be going into the contest on the back of a loss lost against the Chennai Blitz in their opening match.