Puneri Paltan crushed Patna Pirates 37-21 in Pro Kabaddi League season 10’s first semifinal here at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on Wednesday, booking its place in the second consecutive final.
Puneri captain Aslam Inamdar and raider Pankaj Mohite each scored seven points, but the night belonged to Mohammadreza Chiyaneh. The towering Iranian, playing against his former team, registered five vital tackle points.
The evenly matched contest saw a close scoreline of 9-8 in favour of Puneri after the first 10 minutes.
The table-topper then upped the ante, inflicting an all-out on Patna near the 16th minute and extending its lead to a comfortable 20-11 at halftime.
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Puneri maintained its intensity in the second half, achieving another all-out on Patna shortly after the break.
Manjeet’s valiant raid offered Patna a glimmer of hope with six minutes remaining, but by then, the score already read 33-19.
The three-time PKL champion struggled to exert any real pressure, failing to score a single tackle point in the second half.
In contrast, Puneri’s dependable defence effectively neutralised Patna’s offence. Patna’s star raider, Sachin Tanwar, hampered by a neck injury, remained its lone bright spot with five points.
In the grand finale, Puneri will face the winner of semifinal two between defending champion Jaipur Pink Panthers and Haryana Steelers on Saturday, March 1.
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