Folks, that's all for tonight. Thank you for joining us tonight. I, Shivansh Gupta, will be reporting live from the stadium for the remainder of the Chennai leg and my colleagues will be taking care of the blog. So, keep watching this space for all the Kabaddi action, the blogs and the match reports. Also, do not forget to check out the Ajay Thakur interview. Goodnight and Ciao!
A thrilling match with a fitting end, that's the best way to sum up this match. Edge of the seat nail-biter and what more could we have asked for.
There wasn't much Pune did wrong. Mohit and Tomar, as usual, kept scoring point and Manjeet and Surjeet also scored a good number of tackle points. To their credit, they kept Thakur and Chaudhari quiet for the majority of the second half.
This night belongs to one man, V Ajith Kumar. The way he took charge of the raiding responsibilities in the absence of Thakur and Chaudhari is simply commendable. He is surely one for the future.
This match went down to the wire, literally. It all came down to the last raid of the match. Vineet will be a happy man tonight. He was conceding points all night long, but put in the most important tackle of the match.
31-31: THAT WAS THE LAST RAID OF THE NIGHT. DO-OR-DIE RAID FOR MANJEET and VINEET SHARMA DELIEVERS WHEN IT MATTERED THE MOST.
30-31: Chaudhari comes to raid AND A SUPER-TACKLE FOR PUNERI PALTAN! IS THIS THE FINAL BLOW IN THE COFFIN? CHAUDHARI SUCCUMBS TO THE PRESSURE. Greta work there by Surjeet.
36 SECONDS TO GO!
30-29: Shabeer Bappu comes in for his raid of the match. 1 MIUNUTE TO GO. He runs the clock down.
30-29: THALAIVAS INTO THE LEAD! MOHITE IS SHOWN HIS WAY BACK TO THE BENCH AFTER Sagar puts in a great tackle.
With this raid, his tally of raid points goes up to 8, joint highest with Rahul Chaudhari.
WHAT A RAID! 4 RAID POINTS AND HE HAS TIED THE SCORES ONCE AGAIN WITH 2 MINUTES REMAINING! THE LOCAL BOY HAS EVERYONE IN THE CROWD SCREAMING THEIR LUNGS OUT.
The replay shows he has three defenders touching him when he crossed the mid-line. Ankle hold by Manjeet first. Then Hadi Tajik couldm't stop his momentum on time, tried to jump over him, but his leg touched the raider's back. Nitin Tomar joined and the REVIEW IS UNSUCCESSFUL.
Pune takes the review, saying it's bonus plus two.
29-29: SUPER-RAID! AJITH KUMAR HAS ABSOLUTELY SENT THE CROWD INTO A FRENZY. BONUS PLUS THREE POINTS.
25-28: SO CLOSE YET SO FAR, AJAY THAKUR! That was SUPER-RAID IN THE MAKING, BUT JUST COULDN'T PUT IN ENOUGH MUSCLE TO GET A TOUCH PAST THE MID-LINE! Eventhough the tackle point will go to Surjeet Singh, credit to the whole team for covering up quickly.
25-27: Mohite with ab brilliant toe touch on the right corner, Hemant Chauhan.
25-26: Pune's star defender, Girish Maruti Ernak is off to the bench. V Ajith Kumar is handling the pressure really well in the absence of Thakur and Chaudhari and keeping his team afloat.
24-26: Do-or-die raid and Mohit is in. He goes to wards Mohit Chhhillar first and then goes towards Ran Singh. WHAT A PICK! BIG, BIG POINT AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, FORCES RAN SINGH TO PUT IN HIS FIRST UNSUCCESSFUL TACKLE OF THE NIGHT.
24-25: Hadi Tajik with a bone-crushing tackle on Chaudhari and now there's extra pressure on the host. No Thakur and no Chaudhari.
24-24: EMPTY RAID BY CHAUDHARI AND LESS THAN 5 MINUTES TO GO!
24-24: Time out! Nitin gets a touch point off Vineet Sharma, who has been an easy target for Pune tonight. He's been easy pickings, in other words.
23-23: Mohit Chhillar and Ran Singh have been hardly been beaten tonight. Both combine once again to tame and floor Mohite.
22-23: Manjeet is showing all-round capabilities tonight. He rushes in with a strong block on Chaudhari.
22-22: SURROUNDED AND THERE WAS NO ESCAPING THERE! NITING WIHH THE ANKLE HOLD, SAGAR KRISHNA WITH A THIGH HOLD. Ajith walks back.
22-21: Nitin Tomar picks up bonus points at will. That's how good he is.
21-20: Do-or-die raid for Mohite. Mohit initiates the tackle, Mohite tries to jump over the defender, but even before he lands, Ajith comes in with a block.
20-20: Do-or-die raid and this time, Chaudhari has been sent in and he is floored. WE ARE BACK LEVEL AGAIN! Surjeet with the tackle, Chaduhari tried to duck, but he was too slow.
20-19: Ponparthiban Subramaniam was too eager to put in a chest hold there and in the process, he makes a mistake. Mohite with his 4th point of the night.
Our reporter, Shyam Vasudevan is in the stadium. He says: " I can barely hear myself think! That All Out has the audience going absolutely bonkers!"
19-16: Bonus for Chaudhari, his seventh of the night.
18-16: ALL-OUT AND THE THALIAVAS CONTINUES TO LIVE UP ITS REPUTATION OF STAGING COMEBACKS IN THE SECOND HALF. 4 out of 4 for Ran Singh as he floors the last man standing for Pune, Sushant Sail. The raider got the bonus, but couldn't prevent the all-out.
15-15: THALAIVAS DRAWS LEVEL. Hadi Tajik pounced on Rahul, but the latter was able to scramble back to safety.
13-15: Bonus point was initally awarded to and Thalaivas review instantly. The teams thinks no bonus. The reviews shows that the trailing foot was not in the air and no bonus.
13-15: We are back for the final 20 minutes of the day with Darshan Kadian coming in to raid. Three men on the mat for Pune and it might play on super-tackles.
For Pune, Girish Ernak coming back to form was the biggest positive. Pankaj Mohite, in his debut season, has gone from being a super-sub to a regular in the starting seven and lived up to the expecations of his coach and team. He and Nitin Tomar have kept the scoreboard ticking. It's a 2-point game as of now and this can go anywhere.
The first half was all about fortunes changing hands. First, Tamil Thalaivas were off to a dominating start and led Pune for the first nine minutes. Then, Pune inflicted an all-out on the host to take a five-point lead. Just like yesterday, Thalaivas looked a better side after being bunlded out. Ran Singh put in some great tackles and Rahul Chaudhari also bagged a few points.
13-15. HALF-TIME! Surjeet puts in an empty raid and that's the end of the first half.
13-15: Not this time Pankaj, says Ran Singh. The left corner with a diving thigh hold and Manjeet cleans up the tackle moments after.
12-15: Intelligent raiding by V Ajith. He gets a running hand touch off the left corner, Girish. Then uses the lobby to great effect, runs back and just when he felt like he will run off-bounds, he dives to get a touch past the mid-line.
11-15: Do-or-die raid for Pune and Nitin and Ran Singh gets his tackle in cleanly this time. He dives into the raider and tosses him up with a brilliant double thigh hold.
10-15: Do-or-die raid for Tamil Thalaivas. Rahul comes in to raid. 5 points on the night already. He is fishing and he is muscled away onto the mat by the Paltan. For the first time, Girish Ernak comes good. Great block and he ushers Chaudhari off the mat.
LESS THAN 5 MINUTES TO GO IN THE FIRST HALF.
10-14: Pankaj showing great reach. A convincing touch point off Ajeet, who couldn't back off on time.
10-13: Bonus point for Mohite.
10-12: The Thalaivas is slowly clawing its back into the game. The team has come alive after the all-out and this time, it was Pune's raider, Manjeet who put in a futile tackle against Rahul.
9-12: Vineet Sharma contains Vineet Sharma.
8-12: Rahul Chaudhari is back and he gets his third point of the night. Hadi Tajik came in from the back and put in a block, but Chaudhari overpowered him and took him along to his own half and past the mid-line.
6-11: ALL-OUT INFLICTED ON THALIAVAS AND THE STADIUM IS STUNNED! Vineet Sharma, the last man remaining was looking for a toe touch off Sagar Krishna after the bonus, but the latter was too quick and strong with the ankle hold.
5-8: So, no super-tackle, the raider is safe and Ran Singh has to walk back to the bench.
Pune reviews the call, claiming Nitin Tomar's jersey was pulled. The replay shows that was a jersey and the review is successful. Pune retains the review.
7-7: SUPER-TACKLE! RAN SINGH, YOU BEAUTY! That was wrestling move. The way Ran Singh pulled Nitin Tomar back was so strong that Nitin Tomar could barely move a thing.
5-7: Do-or-die raid and Ajay Thakur is floored by Surjeet. Pune is slowly increasing its lead and only two men on the mat for Thalaivas.
Our reporter, Shyam Vasudevan is in the stadium. He says: " Atmosphere is electric at the stadium. Deafening roars each time there's a Tamil Thalaivas raid or any point for that matter"
5-4: Now that Rahul is on the bench, Ajay Kumar comes in to raid for the first time this match and returns empty-handed.
5-3: Niting Tomar is able to break through Chaudhari's hold and run back to safety. 'Showman' Rahul is off to the bench.
5-2: Rahul Chaudhari gets his second point of the night.
4-2: MOHIT IS UP AND RUNNING WITH A BRILLIANT BLOCK. Pankaj Mohite looking for the bonus, he waited for too long and when he turned, Mohit was waiting for him/
3-2: Bonus point for Nitin Tomar and he is off the marl on the night.
3-1: Do-or-die raid and surprisingly, V Ajith was sent in and he delievered. Yet again, Girish Ernak, who was now in the right corner, has to walk back. Brilliant touch point by Ajith.
1-1: Pune scores its first point through Panjak Mohite.
1-0: Nitin Tomar of Pune starts with an empty raid.
1-0: Rahul Chaudhari kicks off the match by with the first raif of the match and he is off. A running hand touch off Girish Ernak in the left cover.
TOSS: Pune wins the toss and Tamil will raid first
This is the victory Titans needed. It successfuly snaps Haryana's three-win streak and more importantly, registers its second win and of the season. The team has begun the Chennai leg just the way it would have liked. Abozar and Farhad formed an incredible wall in the defense and of course, the Desai brothers, mainly Siddharth spearheaded the offense.
SECOND VICTORY FOR THE TITANS AND WHAT AN IMPORTANT ONE. Siddharth jumps to the second spot in the highest raid points tally of season 7 and he was simply outstanding.
29-40: Rajnish comes in to raid and Cheralathan concedes a point by stepping into the lobby and that's the end of the game.
29-39: A good and quick raid on Kamal Singh by Kandola. One man on the mat left for Haryana.
28-39: Do-or-die raid Siddharth Desai comes in to raid AND SIDDHARTH DESAI IS FINALLY TACKLED. HE GOT A TOE TOUCH ON CHAND SINGH, BUT THE DEFENDER RECOVERED QUICKLY WITH A STRONG ANKLE HOLS.
BUT IS THIS TOO LITTLE TOO LATE? 74 SECONDS LEFT ON THE CLOCK.
27-39: WELCOME BACK, KANDOLA! Finally, a raid point for Kandola and not one, but three. Vishal Bhardwaj, Abozar Mighania and Amit Kumar have to go back.
24-39: Abozar is getting lethal now. He has been off colour tonigh but with those vicious double thigh holds, he shows what he is capable of. Naveen has to walk off.
3 minutes to go
18 points from 17 raids for Desai. He has been unstoppable tonight.
24-38: Naveen was tackled successfully by Farhad with a great back hold, but the defender's foot had crossed the mid-line. Hence, the raider is safe and Haryana gets one point.
23-37: This is not Kandola's night, period. Double ankle hold by Farhad and once again, C Arun does the clean-up work.
23-36: The defender, Vishal Bhardwaj stepped out of bounds without getting a touch. An unnecessary review taken by Titans and the team is without technology as well. The replay shows he was clearly into the lobby.
22-36: 2-point raid and that's what Haryana needs now. More of these please, Naveen. Brilliant raid to get rid of Abozar Mighani and Suraj Desai.
20-36: THAT'S A STELLAR RAID AND YET AGAIN, IT'S SIDDHARTH DESAI. His might has been the difference between the two raiding units tonight. He gets a bonus and when Parveen comes in with a dash, he is able to get a touch past the mid-line before being thrown off.
20-34: Naveen with a touch point off Ravi Kumar.
IT'S A 15-POINT GAME AND LESS THAN 8 MINUTES REMAIN ON THE CLOCK. Reckon there is enough time for a comeback?
19-34: Farhad Milagaradhan puts in the dash and floors Vinay with great force. That would have hurt for sure.
18-33: Bonus seems to be the only scoring option for Haryana in this half. Naveen bags another.
17-32: Kandola comes in to raid and he is tackled for the 4th time. He has been taken care off with great effect today. Abozar from the right corner broke free from the chain and put in a solo thigh hold on Kandola, who had no answers and no room to escape.
16-31: ALL-OUT INFLICTED ON HARYANA, FOR THE SECOND TIME. Desai was in to raid against Dharmaraj and Naveen. The former put a double ankle hold and the former went in for support. But, HE IS BAHUBALI and he has been unstoppable tonight. The each with which he overpowered the two defenders was sheer class and at the same time, scary for Haryana.
16-27: Do-or-die raid and a bonus for Naveen.
15-27: Do-or-die for Siddharth Desai and all's well when Bahubali is there. A weak ankle hold on the raider by Vinay.
15-26: VISHAL VS KANDOLA and VISHAL WINS AGAIN. A double ankle hold on Kandola and Haryana's no.1 raider is back to the bench for the third time.
15-25: A TWO-POINT RAID FOR DESAI. Vikas Kale, Ravi Kumar are sent out.
15-23: Kandola has been quiet tonight and Vinay has come good when the team needs someone to step up. A sudden burst of speed and he stretches his hand out for a touch on Farhad.
14-23: WHAT JUST HAPPENED? THAT IS SUCH A JUVELINE ERROR BY THE STEELERS AS THE TEAM WAS CAUGHT NAPPING! SUPER 10 NO.2 FOR SIDDHARTH DESAI. It was a do-or-die raid for Titans and Siddharth was sent in. Haryana Steelers was busy reorganizing itself and didn't notice the raider coming in. Desai went in, got a touch point off a flying kick of Chand Singh and rushed back to safety within 5 seconds.
Haryana Steelers has reviewd the call, claimin a bonus should also be given a bonus. The replays shows the touch happens first and then the foot landed on the other side of the line. Which means, the bonus has to happens first and the REVIEW IS UNSUCCESSFUL. HARYANA IS WITHOUT TECHNOLOGY NOW.
14-22: Do-or-die raid for Haryana. Vinay thought he got the bonus, but he gets a touch point with a toe touch on Amit Kumar.
13-22: 9th raid point and 10th point on the night already for Siddharth. Looked like he was going in for the bonus, but Ravi Kumar broke the chain and went in for a solo dash. Well, that was never going to be enough.
13-21: We are back for the final 20 of this match.
However, mistakes from the Haryana defence, particularly by Dharmaraja and Vinay. Suraj joined the party and he has bagged 5 points already. Once, Kandola was tackled, Titans took full advantage and inflicted an all-out on Haryana. Towards the end, Vishal Bhardwaj picked up his game and with 2 important tackles, he helped Telugu Titans end the first half with an eight-point lead.
This half belong to Siddarth Desai. He has bagged 9 points already, which is his best start of the season far. He began the night with quick raid points. On the other hand, Kandola and Prashanth Kumar Rai also bagged quick raid points.
AND WITH THAT TACKLE, THE FIRST HALF COMES TO AND END! Didn't realize how the first 20 minutes passed by.
13-21: Matching fire with fire, is Vishal and Titans. 2nd time Kandola is floored. Kandola tried to use his speed to get back to safety, but Kandola put in a lightening quick dash to throw him off the mat.
13-20: THIS IS A RAID FEST AND EVEN I AM HAVING A TOUGH TIME KEEPING UP TO THE PACE. Vinay with a brilliant touch point on Farhad.
11-20: IS THERE ANYBODY WHO CAN TACKLE SIDDHARTH DESAI TONIGHT? Sunil with a futile chest hold on Desai, who takes the defender back with him past the mid-line.
11-19: Vishal Bhardwaj is sent to the bench by Vinay. The third-best defender of the season put in a weak ankle hold and Vinay was quick on the turn to get his foot out of the hold.
10-18: ALL-OUT! TELUGU TITANS INFLICTS AN ALL-OUT ON HARYANA! Vishal Bhardwaj with a brilliant tackle on the last man standing for Haryana, Naveen. When Abozar and Vishal are there, not many raiders can evade back to safety on time.
9-15: Do-or-die raid and SIDDHARTH DESAID GETS TWO POINTS OFF AMIT AND CHERALATHAN AND THE TEAM IS ONE AWAY FROM A HARYANA ALL-OUT!
9-13: Do-or-die raaid and Kuamr Rai is in. He tried multiple times for a toe touch in the right corner, but Abozar picked the right moment to pounce on him.
9-12: A slick to touch off Ravi Kumar in the right corner and Siddharth Desai bags his 5th raid point.
9-11: KANDOLA IS FLOORED! FOR THE FIRST TIME! What a tackle by Siddharth Desai. Kandola ventured too deep and he was circled. There was no escaping there.
9-9: SCORES LEVEL: ANOTHER SCHOOL BOY ERROR IN THE MATCH AND THIS TIME, IT'S VISHAL BHARDWAJ. He steps out of bounds while defending and concedes a self-out point.
8-9: Cheralathan now joins the party. Ouch, that was going to hurt. Siddharth got a touch with a kick on Kandola, but that gave Dharmaraj gave enough time to usher the big man, Desai out.
7-9: QUICK FEET AND AMIT KUMAR HAD NO IDEA! Kandola was so swift on the feet, fast on the hand and got a touch with a flying kick touch on the defender.
6-9: 'Bahubali' Siddharth Desai has begun on a very positive note tonight. He uses the lobby to great effect after getting a running hand touch on Ravi Kumar.
6-8: C. Arun with a brilliant tackle there. 2 moves in one tackle. First, the block to tame Prashanth Kumar raid and then the dash to usher him off. Wonderful stuff!
5-7: Oh, no Cheralathan! He puts in a diving tackle on Suraj Desai, who was too close to the mid-line. He was able to duck the tackle and cross his hand acroos the line. Off Ánna'goes to the bench.
4-6: Suraj Desai with a bonus point.
4-5: C Aruns gifts another point as Rai sends him back to the bench.
3-5: Siddharth taking care of the corners. First Cheralathan in the left, now Sunil on the night with flying hand touch.
3-4: Vinay goes in too deep and cannot control his momentum as he steps into the lobby without getting a touch.
3-3: Suraj Desai with a bonus point.
3-2: Do-or-die now for Haryana. Kandola is sent in, tries for the left corner, but he goes right and is able to get himself out a diving ankle hold by Farhad Milagardhan.
2-2: Do-or-die raid for Siddharth Desai. First one of the night and saves himself with a bonus point.
2-1: The elder of the Desai brothers, Suraj comes in to raid. He runs the clock down with an empty raid.
2-1: Prashanth Kumar is off the mark. A brilliant reverse flying kick and gets a heavy touch on Abozar's thigh.
1-1: Siddharth Desai comes in to raid first and sends Dharmaraj Cheralathan in the left corner back with a touch and go touch on him.
1-0: Vikas Kandola comes in to raid and gets a touch point off C Arun in the first 18 seconds.
TOSS: Telugu Titans wins the toss and Haryana Steelers will raid first
A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MANJEET CHHILLAR.
Our reporter, Shyam Vasudevan, reports from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium: "Titans on the mat, crowd erupts.First time Siddharth in titans colours."
Our reporter, Shyam Vasudevan, reports from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium: "The stadium is slowly filling up. The crowd can be seen trickling in."
What are some of the milestones you should look out for?
How have these teams fared against each other?
P.S.- You can watch the live streaming of the matches on Hotstar.
The home leg jinx has got the better of the home teams so far. First, Telugu Titans, then Patna and Gujarat. Chennai-based Tamil Thalaivas also had a poor start yesterday after suffering a pounding at the hands of Bengaluru Bulls. Hence, it will be eager to redeem itself an under-performing Patna Pirates, which is also reeling at the bottom of the table with Titans.
First up, Haryana Steelers, led by localite Dharmaraj Cheralathan will take on Telugu Titans, led by Iranian Abozar Mighani. Though Titans enjoy a slender lead in the head-to-head count with 2 wins in its kitty to 1 for Haryana, it is currently under immense pressure to perform. The team has already lost 5 matches, while Haryana Steelers, riding high on the likes of Vikas Kandola, Cheralathan and Kale. It will be interesting to see whethere Steelers will make it four on the trott or whether a rejuvenated Titans will notch up its second victory of the season.
Let's give you a reminder of how these have done so far.
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