Surjit Singh during a match against Jaipur Pink Panthers in PKL 2021-22
Highlight
- Manjeet misjudges a touch and goes into the lobby resulting in a super tackle.
- The defense of Patna Pirates put up a memorable performance.
- Patna defenders Sunil (9 points) and Mohammadreja Shadloi (3 points) played key roles in the win.
Tamil Thalaivas and Jaipur Pink Panthers played out an entertaining 31-31 draw in their Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) match here on Sunday. Thalaivas’ captain Surjit Singh and Jaipur’s Sandeep Dhull got the high 5’s, with both teams’ defense performing brilliantly. Thaliawas had a two-point lead going into the final raid of the match, but made a mistake which resulted in a tie.
Their raider Manjeet misjudged a touch and went into the lobby resulting in a Super Tackle and two points for Jaipur. In the second match, Patna Pirates’ defense produced a performance to remember as it helped the team beat Bengaluru Bulls 38-31.
Patna defenders Sunil (9 points) and Mohammadreza Shadloui (3 points) were instrumental in setting up a defensive wall that even players like Pawan Sehrawat could not break.
Pawan, the current green sleeve holder (given to the raider with the most raiding points) scored a Super 10 in the first half but could not contribute a point even after the interval. A series of super tackles in the final moments ensured that the Bulls lost the match by a margin of just seven points.
Bulls started the match brilliantly and Pawan Sehrawat looked normal. But Patna definitely had a plan to stop the champion of the sixth season. Their defenders leapt into the group to shift their momentum in their favor.
Earlier, Tamil Thalaivas had a better start with the defensive pairing of Surjeet Singh and Sagar, who did not give a chance to Jaipur raider Arjun Deshwal.
The Panthers were not ready to leak points in their defence, with Sandeep Dhull and Sahul Kumar dealing with Tamil raiders with ease. The game picked up pace in the seventh minute after veteran K Prapanjan injured his shoulder during a raid.
Ajinkya Pawar was brought in in his place, but Jaipur sensed an opportunity. Surjit Singh produced a one-man super tackle on Arjun Deshwal, but Jaipur eventually got their all out with a gap of two minutes. Till halftime, the score was 17-13 in favor of Jaipur.
Tamil coach Udaya Kumar wanted his team to come back slow and not rush, but his team had other plans. The second half started with a tackle from Jaipur’s Deepak Hooda, after which Bhavani Rajput raided two points.
With three remaining on the mat, Thalaivas’ Manjeet produced an astonishing super raid that led to an all out. They took the lead, but Sandeep Dhull and Surjit Singh quickly pulled the Panthers back from their high 5.
Both teams matched for tackles and with 10 minutes remaining the score was level 24-24.
Ajinkya Pawar fired a two-point raid to set the lead for Thaliawas, but Jaipur’s Naveen produced a super tackle to close the gap. Jaipur tied the Super Tackle in the last raid of the match by two points and leveled it.
The Thalaivas will find themselves unlucky as raider Manjeet walks into the lobby with the belief that he has got the touch. But the referee decided against his claim to end the close match.
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