Jaipur Pink Panthers stunned Patna Pirates 51-30 while Tamil Thalaivas defeated Bengaluru Bulls 42-24 in the Souther Derby in Pro Kabaddi League 8 (PKL 8) in Bengaluru on Sunday.
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Arjun Deshwal was the star for Jaipur Pink Panthers are it thrashed Patna Pirates 51-30. Arjun Deshwal scored 17 points and was ably backed up by Deepak Hooda with eight points. Defenders Sandeep Dhull and Vishal also picked up High 5s in a bullish win that exposed the chinks in Patna’s armour. The three-time champion had a terrible day in defence with its cover defenders Sajin C and Neeraj Kumar picking up no points in the entire match.
Jaipur dominated the first half despite going into the match as the underdog. It dominated the proceedings right from the whistle with aggressive defending and clever raiding. Deepak Hooda's return to the raiding department gave Arjun Deshwal more confidence and he picked up easy points from the Patna defence in the early minutes. Jaipur’s defenders Vishal and Sandeep Dhull were also in the mood to not let the Pirates grow confident.
The men in pink got their first All Out in the eighth minute to open a healthy nine-point lead. Arjun Deshwal enticed errors from the Patna defenders and raced to his Super 10. Substitute Guman Singh fought valiantly for Patna but his raids could not prevent another All Out with three minutes remaining. The first half ended 25-11 with Jaipur completely in control.
Jaipur continued its domination of the mat after the interval with Arjun Deshwal picking up easy points off a confused Patna defence. His two-point raid in the seventh minute after the break gave the Panthers another All Out to increase the lead to 19-points. The Jaipur defence was having a night to remember as well with Sandeep Dhull hitting his High 5.
Sachin and Guman Singh kept trying their best to bring Patna back into the match, but their defenders continued to leak easy points. The Panthers had a 20-point lead with five minutes remaining and even Guman Singh’s Super 10 wasn’t enough to save Patna. Vishal also picked up a High 5 as the Jaipur defenders ensured there are no slip-ups to win the match.
Tamil Thalaivas beats Bengaluru Bulls in Southern Derby
Tamil Thalaivas thrashed Bengaluru Bulls 42-24 in a one-sided match. Ajinkya Pawar scored a Super 10 for the Thalaivas and was supported well by his raiding partner Manjeet with eight points. Their defenders had a great night too with Sagar picking up a High 5 to ensure Bulls’ captain Pawan Sehrawat ended the match without a Super 10.
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Bengaluru went into the Southern Derby with a 7-0 win/loss ratio and controlled the early minutes, but Thalaivas gradually found their foothold to draw level. The score was 6-6 after 10 minutes but the Thalaivas switched gears to pull away from the Bulls. Ajinkya Pawar’s speedy raids found the Bulls defence struggling while their own raiders struggled against a resolute Thalaivas defence.
Thalaivas inflicted their first All Out in the 13th minute to open a five-point lead. The Bulls defence, without Saurabh Nandal and Mahender Singh in the starting seven, continued to leak points after the All Out. Ajinkya’s calmness in Do-or-Die situations helped Thalaivas open a bigger lead and eventually secure another All Out with two minutes remaining for half-time. At the interval, the scores was 21-8 with Thalaivas having the momentum.
Tamil Thalaivas continued to control the match after the interval with its defenders leaving no room for the Bulls raiders. M Abhishek in the cover position won his personal battles against Pawan Sehrawat and Bengaluru could not find the backup raiders to revive their captain quickly. Thalaivas got their third All Out with nine minutes remaining to get a 20-point lead.
Pawan Sehrawat and Bharat gave the Bulls a few quick points after the first strategic time out, but Thalaivas maintained a healthy lead going into the dying minutes. Coach Uday Kumar wanted his raiders to slow the speed of the match by taking it to the third raid and Ajinkya Pawar ensured his team succeeded in the Do-or-Die situations. The raider also picked his Super 10 in the final minute. Sagar picked his High 5 as the defenders ensured the Thalaivas clinched an important derby victory.
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