Welcome to Sportstar's coverage of the Pro Kabaddi League. This is Shyam Vasudevan and I will be taking you through today's PKL 8 match between Jaipur Pink Panthers and Puneri Paltan.
Puneri Paltan defeats Jaipur Pink Panthers 37-30, but guess who has progressed to the playoffs? Bengaluru Bulls! Neither Puneri Paltan or Jaipur Pink Panthers has advanced to the knockout stage yet and will wait with bated breath to see how the two remaining matches play out.
First up, playoff-hopeful Gujarat Giants takes on U Mumba. Join my colleague Nihit Sachdeva on the live blog here -
Here's what the PKL 8 points table looks like after the Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Puneri Paltan game -
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Aslam Inamdar came up with many a crucial raid and bagged a Super 10 to power Puneri Paltan to a win today. In a team that's coached by the iconic Anup Kumar and features established stars such as Nitin Tomar, Rahul Chaudhari and Vishal Bharadwaj, Aslam has come come along and stolen the limelight. The young raider hailing from Taklibhan in Maharashtra has made coaches and fans turn around and take notice of his aptitude for the game and stunning skill set. From braving a broken leg to dealing with a tough financial situation at home, Aslam has overcome adversities aplenty to pursue his dream of becoming a professional kabaddi player.
Aslam is the first guest in Sportstar's special series - the Future Kings of Kabaddi.
FULL-TIME! Puneri Paltan beats Jaipur Pink Panthers 37-30.
30-37 Seven-point lead for Puneri Paltan as Naveen is shoved off the mat! Thirty seconds to go.
30-36 That is simply sensational from Aslam! He goes for the dubki , sneaks past Sandeep, and gives his side a six-point lead.
30-35 The move pays off for Puneri Paltan as Mohit comes up with a stunning ankle hold to relegate Arjun to the bench!
I'm not quite sure if that's the best tactic...Aslam does not even attempt a bonus point and we have less than two minutes on the clock. A single multi-point raid could completely change the game and could backfire for Puneri Paltan !
Arjun claims a bonus and Jaipur Pink Panthers reviews the decision, but to no avail.
29-34 ALL OUT! Arjun inflicts the All Out and has reduced his side's deficit to a mere five points with three minutes to go!
26-34 Deepak comes up with a rock-solid dash to send Mohit off the mat.
25-34 Arjun pegs two more priceless points as he get the better of Puneri Paltan's two key defenders - Vishal and Abinesh.
23-33 Naveen delivers when it matters the most as he relegates Sanket to the bench. More importantly, that will revive Arjun for Jaipur Pink Panthers!
22-33 SUPER TACKLE! That is a tackle for the ages. Mohit grabs Arjun's ankle while Abinesh and Shahaji swoop in to take care of Arjun's upper body and that's that!
22-31 Arjun gets rid of Nitin with yet another superb running hand touch and Puneri Paltan has just three men left.
Puneri Paltan is notorious for losing a lead and appears to be doing it again!
21-30 Two more points for Arjun as he escapes Vishal's ankle hold and swerves away from Sombir's dash.
18-30 SUPER 10 FOR ASLAM! He evades Brijendra's half-hearted tackle and cruises to another Super 10.
18-29 Vishal strikes with another trademark ankle hold on Naveen and Puneri Paltan's lead continues to swell.
18-28 Aslam gets a bonus point on the do-or-die raid but Puneri Paltan continues to have only four on the mat.
17-27 SUPER 10 FOR ARJUN DESHWAL! He lands a fine running hand touch on the Puneri Paltan captain Nitin to bring up his 16th Super 10 of PKL 8.
16-27 Aslam picks up his eighth point as he gets the better of Brijendra.
16-26 That's what Arjun is popular for - the running hand touches. He gets rid of Sombir and it's a 10-point game.
15-26 Arjun picks up a bonus point, but Jaipur Pink Panthers will need a lot more than that to retain its playoff chances!
13-26 Mohit comes up with a two-point raid of his own as he coolly escapes Nitin's tackle and grabs another point on his way back.
13-24 Arjun strikes immediately with a two-point raid. The raider has largely been quiet so far...but that seems to be changing now.
11-24 SUPER RAID FROM ASLAM! He executes a dubki to perfection and sneaks past not one, or two, but three defenders to extend his side's lead!
11-21 ALL OUT! Puneri Paltan clinches the All Out in the first raid of the second half and now has a 10-point lead.
HALF-TIME: Puneri Paltan leads 18-11 at the end of the first half. Puneri Paltan made a solid recovery and has dominated the last 10 minutes of play. The defence, marshalled by Vishal, has done very well and Mohit has been unstoppable in his raids. Jaipur Pink Panthers' Arjun has been tackled with ease and spent nearly half of the opening 20 minutes on the bench.
11-18 Mohit gets a touch on Nitin, deep in the left corner of the mat, and Jaipur Pink Panthers has just one man left on the mat. The season one champ is in all sorts of trouble!
11-17 Vishal has stepped up big time as he launches into a superb double thigh hold on Brijendra. Jaipur Pink Panthers is now down to two men and on the verge of another All Out!
10-15 Sombir picks up his first point of the game to flatten Naveen on the mat.
9-14 Aslam does very well to reach out and and a touch on Sandeep, but the latter swears that there was no touch. The umpires, however, rule in Aslam's favour.
9-13 Vishal strikes with an impenetrable ankle hold and Arjun heads back to the bench. Crucial passage of play from a Puneri Paltan point of view.
8-12 ALL OUT! The Puneri Paltan defence pounces on Nitin and clinches the All Out. Puneri Paltan has a four-point lead now!
7-9 One more point in the bag for Mohit as he reduces Jaipur Pink Panthers to one man - Nitin Rawal.
6-8 That is simply unbelievable from Mohit! He notices Sandeep making a dash towards him from he right and he ducks, at the last second, to escape with a crucial point.
Arjun Deshwal has spent six of the 12 minutes played so far on the bench! That's a worrying sign for Jaipur Pink Panthers.
6-7 Puneri Paltan takes the lead for the first time today, courtesy of a gift from Nosrati. He fails to score in the do-or-die raid and gives away a free point. Jaipur Pink Panthers is now down to three men!
6-6 Aslam comes good in the do-or-die raid as he lands a running hand touch on Deepak, who is caught napping deep in the right corner of the mat.
A breathless opening 10 minutes sees Jaipur Pink Panthers hold a slender lead.
6-5 It's raining tackle points here as Sanket makes a monstrous block to deny Brijendra.
6-4 No luck for Mohit this time around as he gets taken out by Nosrati in the right-in position.
5-4 Mohit Goyat proves why he's called an all-rounder and not just a raider as he traps Arjun in a strong ankle hold.
4-3 Aslam doing what Aslam does best - a rapid change in direction and a blink-and-you-miss toe touch. Vishal is off to the bench.
4-2 Aslam grabs a bonus point and that's the side's first raid point of the game. The Paltan faithful will want a lot more of those from Aslam!
4-1 Brijendra is at it again and guess who he tackles this time around? The mighty Nitin Tomar! Brijendra is off to a stunning start here.
3-1 First point on the board for Puneri Paltan as M. Nosrati ventures into the lobby in the do-or-die raid.
3-0 Brijendra does extremely well to block Mohit Goyat and Puneri Paltan has lost both of its main raiders inside the opening two minutes!
2-0 That's a solid tackle! Vishal with the block and Deepak and Brijendra take care of Aslam's lower body to earn the Jaipur Pink Panthers a tackle point.
1-0 Arjun Deshwal gets going right away with a bonus point.
Puneri Paltan won the toss and chose the left side of the court, Jaipur Pink Panthers will raid first.
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7:30pm: TEAM NEWS!
Jaipur Pink Panthers: Sandeep Dhull, Arjun Deshwal, Nitin Rawal, Vishal Lather, Deepak Rathee, M. Nosrati, Brijendra Choudhary
Puneri Paltan: Nitin Tomar, Aslam Inamdar, Vishal Bharadwaj, Mohit Goyat, Abinesh Nadarajan, Sombir, Sanket Sawant
7:20pm: The stats seem to favour Jaipur Pink Panthers! The side has a 10-5 lead in its head-to-head series against Puneri Paltan. Jaipur Pink Panthers also beat Puneri Paltan 31-26 in their first meeting this season.
7:10pm: Puneri Paltan slipped to a morale-sapping loss to Bengal Warriors yesterday. Puneri Paltan looked in complete control of the game and had a 10-point lead at the interval but began to crumble in the second half and succumbed to a loss that could severely dent its playoff chances. Mohit Goyat starred with 15 points but Puneri Paltan walked away from the game with a mere point and is now eighth on the points table, trailing the Bengaluru Bulls by five points. What makes matters worse for Anup Kumar's side is that it also has a significantly lower score difference than the Bulls.
Qualification scenario: Puneri Paltan will simply have to beat the Jaipur Pink Panthers to qualify for the playoffs. But with the way things are placed, it could miss out even if it wins. Puneri Paltan also needs U Mumba or Patna Pirates to win or tie their games to ensure its qualification.
Puneri Paltan can only qualify on its own accord if it beats Jaipur Pink Panthers by 28 points and leapfrogs Bengaluru Bulls on the points table.
7pm: Jaipur Pink Panthers comes into the into the high on confiednce. Champion of season one, the side has won its last two games and is currently sixth on the points table, four points behind fourth-placed Bengaluru Bulls and one point behind fifth-placed Haryana Steelers.
Qualification scenario: Jaipur Pink Panthers will qualify for the playoffs if it beats Puneri Paltan today, simple as that. However, if it plays out a tie, then it will have to rely on U Mumba beating Gujarat Giants or holding it to a tie, or hope Patna Pirates beats Haryana Steelers. Jaipur Pink Panthers' season will end if it loses today. In short: the side simply cannot afford a loss.
6:50pm: The 2022 edition of the Sportstar Aces Awards is back and we are celebrating the marvellous year for Indian Sports that 2021 was. From Neeraj Chopra and the other Olympic and Paralympic medallists to the Indian cricket team, we have a bunch of nominees who need your vote to win! Support your favourite athlete/team here .
6:40pm: In a team that's coached by the iconic Anup Kumar and features established stars such as Nitin Tomar, Rahul Chaudhari and Vishal Bharadwaj, one youngster has come come along and stolen the limelight - Aslam Inamdar. The young raider hailing from Taklibhan in Maharashtra has made coaches and fans turn around and take notice of his aptitude for the game and stunning skill set. From braving a broken leg to dealing with a tough financial situation at home, Aslam has overcome adversities aplenty to pursue his dream of becoming a professional kabaddi player.
Aslam is the first guest in Sportstar's special series - the Future Kings of Kabaddi.
6:30pm: Hello folks and welcome to our PKL coverage for the day! We are into the last day of league matches where the three remaining playoffs spots will be decided. We've got six teams in action today out of which four of them still have a shot at the knockout stage, so brace yourselves for an evening of high-intensity kabaddi!
We begin the evening with a crunch game between Jaipur Pink Panthers and Puneri Paltan - a virtual knockout game by itself. The winner of the match will find a spot in the next round and it promises to be an enthralling content.
Before we get to that, here's a recap of what went down in the PKL over the last fortnight -
ALSO READ | PKL notebook: Patna Pirates packs a punch
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