Puneri Paltan extended their lead atop the Pro Kabaddi League standings with a 39-32 victory over Jaipur Pink Panthers, while Bengal Warriors returned to the top five with a 41-38 triumph over Bengaluru Bulls on Wednesday at Hyderabad’s Gachibowli Indoor Stadium.
The Puneri Paltan and Jaipur Pink Panther battled first in the doubleheader at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on Wednesday in Hyderabad. Despite a brilliant effort from Jaipuer’s Arjun Deshwal, Pune’s brilliant team play helped them secure a fourth consecutive victory. In the second game of the evening, which was a tight match between the two teams, the Bengal Warriors overcame the dangerous Bengaluru Bulls. Here is how the games transpired.
Puneri Paltan retains the 1st position with a victory over Jaipur
Jaipur Pink Panther came out swinging and picked quick touchpoints to gain a lead early on. However, combined efforts from Sombir and Aslam Inamdar helped the Puneri Paltan level the score at 9-9. Puneri Paltan kept raging on and inflicted an All-Out to take the lead at 20-16 by the end of the first half. Despite the Panthers’ best efforts, which included a few good raids and tackles, they were unable to overcome the enormous lead built up by the Paltan.
Puneri Paltan inflicted another All-Out before the team could make a change in strategy and gained a stronghold over the match at 27-18. Pune’s defenders Abinesh Nadarajan and Fazel Atrachali were caught off guard during a spectacular raid by Deshwal, who managed to keep the Panthers alive in the game. Puneri Paltan continued to lead at 36-29 as Goyat and Aslam Inamdar displayed excellent play at the other end, and they rode the wave of momentum to eventually secure a convincing victory.
For the Pink Panthers, Arjun Deshwal once again shone, scoring 19 raid points and seriously tormenting the Paltan defense throughout the game. The Puneri Paltan captain, on the other side, had five unsuccessful tackles throughout the game after making pressured attempts at the forward tackles. To win, however, the Paltan worked as a team, with Aslam Inamdar scoring nine points, Mohit Goyat scoring seven, and Akash Shinde scoring six in the attack. Sombir also contributed with four tackle points.
Punheri Paltan currently sits in the first position in the points table with eleven wins and four losses in 17 games. Meanwhile, Jaipur Pink Panther are currently placed in the third position with ten wins and six losses in 16 games.
Bengal Warriors overcome Bengaluru Bulls after falling behind in the game
The Bengal Warriors got off to an excellent start, grabbing the initiative early on to force the Bengaluru Bulls to defend. Bengal’s Maninder appeared threatening and earned some quick raid points for his team before the Bulls delivered a Super Tackle and sent him to the sidelines. Around the 10-minute mark, Bengaluru started to even out the score, with Aman taking the defensive lead and Bharat contributing with raids.
Maninder kept the Warriors under control with rapid raids up until the Warriors’ defense came to the rescue and overwhelmed their opponents, allowing the Warriors to break away into a 6-point advantage. However, the Bulls recovered and finished the first half with a respectable 22-18 lead. In the second half, Bharat and Neeraj Narwal continued to put more points on the board for the side, helping the Bulls increase their advantage to a sizable eight points.
The Warrior’s collective team efforts and Girish Maruti Ernak’s outstanding individual play helped the squad get back into the game. The Warriors were behind by one point with less than two minutes remaining. Before the Bulls could attempt a comeback, Shrikant Jadhav and Maninder scored decisive raid points and hammered the Bulls with a 41-38 victory in the dying seconds. The Bengal Warriors’ top performers were defender Girish Maruti Ernak, who scored 6 tackle points, and raider Maninder Singh, who scored a total of 11 raid points.
The two negated Bharat, Bengaluru’s premier raider, who did his best to give his team a win with 10 raid points. With this outstanding victory, Bengal solidifies its position in the top five, while the Bulls, who are now in second place, must put in a lot of effort to unseat Puneri Paltan from first place.