The Bengaluru Bulls and the Jaipur Pink Panthers played out a close contest throughout the match and were locked at 30-30 in the last few minutes. But Vikash Kandola pulled off a magnificent Super Raid to help his team defeat the Panthers 37-31 in Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 at the Shree Shivchhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, Pune on Sunday.
It was the Bulls’s second straight win with a thrilling late raid and with it, they consolidated their top spot in the standings.
In the day’s other match, Tamil Thalaivas continued their resurgence, winning their second game on the trot, beating defending champions Dabang Delhi K.C. 49-39 in the second game of the evening in Pune. Raider Narender picked up a mind-boggling 24 points to help them register a massive victory.
For Bulls, in-form Bharat effected a fantastic raid in the 7th minute and helped his team inflict an all out to take a massive lead at 10-3. Raiders Neeraj Narwal, Bharat and Vikash Kandola kept picking up points as the Bulls widened their lead at 16-6. However, Jaipur’s Bhavani Rajput carried out a Super Raid in the 17th minute and reduced the gap between the two sides. Arjun Deshwal also joined the party as the Panthers continued their fightback. Soon after, Sunil Kumar tackled Narwal to effect an all out as his side levelled the scores at 19-19 at the end of the first half.
Both sides played out a neck and neck contest in the second half. Jaipur and Bengaluru’s defense units showcased top form and kept tackling raiders. While captain Sunil Kumar and Reza Mirbagheri stood tall for the Panthers, defenders Saurabh Nandal and Aman led the charge for the Bulls. The teams were locked at 27-27 in the 36th minute. However, Kandola carried out a multi-point raid and helped his side take a crucial three-point lead at 30-27. Bharat could have inflicted an all out, but the Panthers effected a Super Tackle to level the scores at 30-30. But, Kandola pulled off a brilliant Super Raid in the last minute of the match to help team inflict an all out and register a thrilling win.
Matches on 31/10/2022:
7:30 PM: Gujarat Giants vs Patna Pirates
8:30 PM: U.P. Yoddhas vs Telugu Titans
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