NEW DELHI: Delhi Waveriders, led by Indian star Sardar Singh, may consider themselves a bit lucky after bagging two full points from their opening match against the Jamie Dwyer-led Jaypee Punjab Warriors in the Capital on Monday.

The hosts won 2-1 in front of 10,000 fans. The match saw the local team dominate the first two quarters and then Punjab hit back in the last two quarters, without much luck.

The Punjab Warriors paid the price for being listless in the initial part of the match, something which could be blamed on limited practice opportunity for the newly-assembled team.

Oskar Deecke put Delhi ahead in the seventh minute and Gurvinder Singh Chandi doubled the lead in the 23rd minute. The way the game moved ahead, it seemed Delhi would cruise to victory. But as soon as the third quarter began, there was a change in the script.

Dwyer’s team, which was looking jaded till then, changed gears and came up with repeated attacks on the Delhi post. Kieran Govers’ strike in the 42nd minute raised hopes of a Punjab revival but Delhi goalkeeper Nicolas Jacobi stood firm.

“Delhi outplayed us in the first two quarters, there’s no doubt about that,” Punjab skipper Dwyer said after the match. “We should have scored from the three penalty corners we got but the execution was poor. We now have to get the combination right.”

Delhi coach AK Bansal also said he was expecting his team to improve as the tournament progresses. “We got less than seven days to put the team together and practise. So I expect them to show better coordination with more time,” he said.

Earlier, the tournament was declared open with an impressive opening ceremony featuring a laser show and fireworks.