Two-time champions Jaipur Pink Panthers were held to a 30-30 draw by the Tamil Thalaivas in their Pro Kabaddi League match at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Later, the UP Yoddhas picked up a 35-29 win over the Gujarat Giants.
Thalaivas hold Pink Panthers
The Tamil Thalaivas pulled off a fantastic heist when they clinched a tie in the dying seconds of the match against the Jaipur Pink Panthers. The two sides ended the game locked on 30-30 with Sachin top scoring for the Tamil Thalaivas with 11 points to his name. For the Jaipur Pink Panthers, Arjun Deshwal scored 7 points and Vikash Kandola added 6 more to the cause. The result is also the second time a game has ended in a tie in PKL Season 11, so far.
The Jaipur Pink Panthers started off proceedings with the skipper Arjun Deshwal picking up the first points. After which both sides traded blows with equal measure in the early minutes, before the Jaipur Pink Panthers pulled into a two-point lead. Sachin landed the game’s first Super Tackle on Arjun Deshwal, to bring the Tamil Thalaivas back on level terms, in what was turning out to be tightly contested match.
As the first half progressed, Sachin led the charge for the Thalaivas while Deshwal, Kandola and Ankush Rathee were making the most number of inroads for the Jaipur Pink Panthers.
Eventually, the Pink Panthers went into the half-time break with the score at 21-16.
After the break it was Chandran Ranjith who started the comeback for the Thalaivas. But the Pink Panthers were able to keep the Thalaivas at bay for the majority of second half, and protected their lead quite well.
For the Tamil Thalaivas, Sachin gave it his all to bring the team back into the contest in the final phase of play. And just as it looked like the contest would go the way of the Jaipur Pink Panthers, it was Nitesh Kumar and the defenders, along with Sachin, who clinched the tie for the Tamil Thalaivas.
Yoddhas beat Giants
The UP Yoddhas fought hard against a determined Gujarat Giants and registered an important 35-29 win. For the UP Yoddhas, Bharat finished with 13 points and Bhavani Rajput added 9 to the cause, while Rakesh stood out for the Gujarat Giants with 8 points to his name.
The Gujarat Giants made a strong start to the game with the likes of Guman Singh and Sombir, doing well in attack and defence respectively. The UP Yoddhas, who were caught on the backfoot initially, started to fight back after conceding the lead in the initial minutes. For the UP Yoddhas, it was Rajput, who was leading the charge in the early parts of the contest.
Midway through the first half, the Gujarat Giants landed a Super Tackle through Jitender Yadav, but moments later, the UP Yoddhas got their noses out in front, picking up a 2-point lead. The Gujarat Giants clawed their way back into the contest and wiped out the deficit, but with minutes to go in the first half, Mahender Singh’s tackle on the Rakesh resulted in an all out, which put the UP Yoddhas back in the box seat. At the half-time break, the UP Yoddhas went into the break with the score reading 19-17 in their favour.
After the break, the UP Yoddhas had their eyes on keeping their lead intact. Meanwhile, the Gujarat Giants were trying their best to upset the opposition and wrestle back the momentum. For Gujarat Giants, it was Rakesh who was leading the charge yet again with the skipper Neeraj Kumar and Guman Singh providing ample support. However, as the contest reached the 30-minute mark, the UP Yoddhas had registered a 5-point lead and had some breathing space.
In the final phase of the game, the two teams cranked up the intensity, especially the Gujarat Giants, who fought back to level things at 26-26. However, the UP Yoddhas had just about enough in the tank and sprinted across the finish line, eventually winning the contest by a six-point margin.
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