LIVE: [Scores read - Bengal Warriors vs U Mumba and Patna Pirates vs UP Yoddha]
Until next time, goodbye and goodnight!
That's all from me and all of us here at Sportstar.
For those of you who have been joining us diligently every day, Shivansh will be back with his adrenaline-pumped commentary tomorrow. Do watch this space for everything Kabaddi as we bring you everything you need to know from the seventh season of the ProKabaddi League. To keep up with our coverage of the league, be it match reports, live blogs or player interviews,
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The action now moves to Ahmedabad, home to the Gujarat Fortunegiants.
Proceedings in the city begin with a thrilling double-header at the EKA Arena.
Home side Fortunegiants take on Tamil Thalaivas in the first game after which Puneri Paltan will lock horns with Dabang Delhi.
I cannot believe it's been four weeks of action in the ProKabaddi League already. The tussles have begun in the points table and interesting times and games await us as the race towards to the middle of the tournament.
Here are the awards for the ties tonight:
Bengal Warriors 32-30 U Mumba
Raider of the game: Arjun Deshwal (U Mumba) : 18 raids, 10 raid points, 56 % strike rate
Defender of the game: Baldev Singh (Bengal Warriors) : 8 tackles, 5 points
Game changer of the match : Baldev Singh (Bengal Warriors)
Moment of the match: Jeeva Kumar (Bengal Warriors) for his brilliant last-minute tackle to get Arjun Deshwal out and prevent a tie.
Orange sleeve to the top defender goes to U Mumba's Surender Singh - 24 tackle points
Patna Pirates 41-20 UP Yoddha
Raider of the game: Pardeep Narwal (Patna Pirates): 22 raids, 12 raid points, 55% strike rate
Defender of the game: Neeraj Kumar (Patna Pirates): 9 tackles, 8 points, 89% strike rate
Game changer of the match: Neeraj Kumar (Patna Pirates) for leading a brilliant Patna defence
Moment of the match: Pardeep Narwal (Patna Pirates) for his brilliant show in the do-or-die raids for the Pirates
Defence gave Patna 16 tackle points.
What a way to shut down the critics, Patna and what a way to finish your home leg.
Third win for Patna and it moves up to seventh in the points table. Delhi, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Mumbai sit pretty on top.
Second consecutive Super10 for Pardeep Narwal. The team mascots are out and hugs are in order.
Sher ne shikhar kar liya , a banner reads. Which translates to - the lion has finished his hunt.
Jang Kun Lee is giving UP Yoddha his most menacing look, it seems like, but no need. This raid can go empty as the whistle goes. And that ends it all.
41-20
Surender Gill gets Jaideep as the lead comes down to 21. 40 seconds remain. UP Yoddha is now going for whatever it can as consolation. Pardeep Narwal is happy but has been tackled by Sumit.
Surrender raid. Second ALL OUT effected by the Patna Pirates. And the tally for the Pirates goes up to 41. This is a route and is getting difficult to watch by the minute.
37-18 Simple raid. Narwal gets Amit.
Under a minute-and-a-half to go. It's becoming a formality now for the Pirates.
Five points for Jang Kun Lee here. He can do so much better than this but this has been a good outing for him.
35-18
What was Nitesh doing? He barely manages to touch Jang Kun Lee who emphatically beats his thigh. Why was that necessary. If it's not in your reach, let them go! He knows he's made an error here.
After an empty raid by Jang Kun Lee, Vikas Jaglan gets Monu Goyat out, just as we were discussing how ordinary the man has been.
Patna Pirates has called for a timeout now. Ram Mehar Singh has a flurry of instructions for his boys.
33-17
Do-or-die raid for UP Yoddha also but Monu will not let them be. Surender Gill is tackled and pulled back. Brilliant all-rounder Monu has proven to be for the Pirates. Monu Goyat, on the other hand, has been ordinary.
31-17 Do-or-die raid for the Pirates and Narwal is pasted to the floor.
UP Yoddha is trying and trying hard.
Surender Gill is happy.
Jang Kun Lee has been good tonight. He has been in the thick of things, effecting two revivals and helping Pardeep get back on the mat. That's necessary. You need superstars but you also need good second fiddles.
UP Yoddha has picked up six points in the last five minutes as opposed to two points by the Patna Pirates but it doesn't do anything to change this one-sided 31-16 score line.
Ram Mehar Singh isn't smiling yet, but the creases on his forehead have disappeared. The Patna Pirates' coach will be happy with its show today.
Officials have called a timeout. This will give both teams some time to sort out their strategies for the final eight minutes.
Meanwhile, substitution for the Pirates:
Monu in, Maghsoudlou out.
Pardeep Narwal is a brilliant student of the game. He knows not to take unnecessary risks even if personal gains stand on the other end. He knows better than to do something silly and give away this lead. Jang Kun Lee has revived him both times he has been sent out it seems.
Review:
Jang Kun Lee needs to have a touch before he gets out on to the lobby. Yoddha have reviewed that the raider needs to go out. Review unsuccessful. Jang Kun Lee is safe. The score line now 31-15. This is brutal. I almost can't watch. UP Yoddha loses its review.
29-15 Do or die raid for the Yoddha. Surender Gill comes in and takes Neeraj Kumar and Hasi Oshtorak with him. Smart. Some more of this and the Yoddha could give themselves a fighting chance.
10 minutes to go and it is a 16-point lead for the Pirates.
29-10
Chants in the stadium say- Jeetega bhai Jeetega, Patna jeetega! Trust me when I say, this isn't a home bias. The Pirates have just been that good today! The dubki king is leading from the front and he has picked up a point in the very same fashion. Haters gonna hate - Pardeep Narwal must be thinking
27-10 Child's play for Pardeep Narwal.
We've seen him more on the mat than off it today and he's picked up a super 10. Nitesh Kumar goes out with it. What a show from the Pirates.
26-10
Do or die raid for UP Yoddha and decimation effected here by Vikas Jaglan. What a tackle! UP Yoddha dare not think of a point!
25-10 Oh oh. One point for UP Yoddha. Jang Kun Lee is successfully tackled by Sumit.
Rishank has gone off, substituted. Does that explain the silence in the UP Yoddha side of the mat? Or is it the drubbing the Pirates have handed to them so far? Is there a comeback from something like this? If you are a Bengaluru Bulls supporter, you will believe in miracles but can the Yoddha dare to dream of anything of the sort?
25-9 The strong thigh holds continue from the Pirates. Jaideep inflicts a lovely tackle here. Surender Gill goes out as quickly as he came in.
Substitution for UP Yoddha: Surender Gill and Azad Singh in, Shrikant Jadhav and Rishank Devadiga out.
The home team sits pretty with a 15-point lead. Absolutely does not look like the Pirates haven't won a game in this leg but that is the reality of this phase of the tournament for the Pirates. All's well that ends well, right? Patna will want to bury the bad form in the second half with a win tonight. We're back in a few moments.
We have much to look forward to as the second half begins in a few minutes. Pardeep Narwal is one short of a Super 10. The coach is spending time with the rest of the team now. He spent all the time here during the first half, yelling out instructions to Pardeep Narwal but not anymore. He knows he's done what he needs to do. He does say one thing here though, "if you want 10 more points, don't go long. Be smart about it, Pardeep," he says.
22-9 Neeraj joins the party and Shrikant has been shown the boundaries of the mat. And with that, we have an ALL OUT! He has a clean 100% strike rate tonight. What can go wrong, he asks!
19-8 Oh mistake there from the Pirates. Maghsoudlou gives himself up for a point. This is getting funny. The Pirates are so strong today that only mistakes like this from their end is giving the opponent points.
17-6
Rishank came in strong but Jaideep stands in his way. Tackled successfully. One more point to the Pirates.
16-6 Pardeep goes in to raid. One, two - oh my word!
Neetu Chandra is up on her feet and we know why. Two points to Pardeep. Nitesh Kumar and Amit are on their way to the bench. Ten point lead now to the Pirates. No home win? Yeah, think again folks. The Pirates are here for the loot and they will walk away with it, it seems like.
REVIEW SUCCESSFUL
but it only partly helps the UP Yoddha. Smart of the Goyat to ask for two things as he's out but he gets the bonus for the team. So we have it -scoreline
14-6 in favour of the Pirates.
He has the bonus point as the reviews point out and he is touching that line from inside the playing area of the mat but is any part of his body inside when he gets ushered out of the mat? What will the referee decide?
Monu Goyat has challenged this decision now. He says he has a bonus point and a successful raid but the referee decision is that the raider is out. We are getting this reviewed.
This is incredible. The coach is busy having a word with Jang Kun Lee. Pardeep is raiding at the moment and he's now figuring his way around all inconveniences. The coach will have a word with Pardeep, directly or otherwise.
What a game! EVERYONE is so invested now that the wind has blown out the Pirates' sails.
11-4 Monu Goyat gets Jang Kun Lee out and with that, it's a milestone for Monu.
How about that! The Pataliputra stadium is up on its feet. ALL OUT effected by Patna Pirates
here with nine minutes to go in this first half. Azad Singh has been packed away and that brings back the full army of Yoddhas back on the mat. Not a great start for them. 11-3 in favour of the Pirates.
7-2
Do-or-die raid for the UP Yoddha. Rishank has come in. He has been incredibly vocal tonight. So much that we can hear him above all the yelling. Will the officials have a word with him? Well, no harm done as he removes Neeraj! Job done. Nothing else matters.
6-2
Successful do-or-die raid for the Pirates. Pardeep gets Ashu. The coach has given him a earful and the crowds didn't seem to take to that kindly. How does one coach someone like Pardeep Narwal?
4-2 Good job here from Jang Kun Lee and Narwal is back on the mat. This is what the team needs. Pardeep needs his team to rally behind him. This team cannot manage a win if this is a one-horse race!
On an average, Pardeep Narwal has been spent about 19 minutes off the mat. And he has been sent out for the first time tonight. Can the Pirates bring him back quickly? That's the question everyone in this packed Pataliputra stadium will be asking! The game though continues.
3-2 Unsuccessful raid and Pardeep is out and on the bench. Ashu Singh is a happy man.
2-1 Pardeep gets his second raid point, the victim - Sumit.
1-1 Monu Goyat gets Jaideep out. These first few minutes have gone by in the blink of an eye. My fingers are dying.
1-0 Bring it on says Pardeep Narwal as he starts off with a raid point for the Pirates. Amit goes out.
TOSS: UP Yoddha win the toss and Patna will raid first.
32-30 Arjun Deshwal walks in to raid one last time. Can he? NO HE CAN'T. Jeeva Kumar has come in when it matters and tackles him out of the mat and with that we hear the final whistle and that's the end of it! Bengal Warriors walks away with this game. What a close game, with the Warriors coming out successful.
31-30 Mani comes in. He has been so quiet today and he has been brilliantly tackled by Sandeep Narwal. No space for anything here. Can Mumbai manage to at least tie this encounter?
31-29
Atul comes in for Ajinkya Kapre and he has taken out Baldev Singh. A point to U Mumba and they'll take it!
I cannot get over that Nabibakhsh raid that changed everything for the Warriors. He charged into the U Mumba defense and confused the living lights out of that defense, enticing Fazel to sacrifice. My oh my! This game is going to be the death of me tonight.
There comes the all-out. Bengal Warriors have done so well. Guess what the scoreline looks like now! 31-28.U Mumba had it all and they let it go. Under 2 minutes remain and my blood pressure is shooting now.
28-27
Lee goes in and its an empty raid. and Nabibakhsh comes on again to raid. He absolutely loves these situations and he's taken out Surinder Singh.
Substitution for U Mumba: Young Chang Ko out, Dong Geon Lee in.
27-27 NO NO NO. Fazel has gifted away himself to Nabibakhsh. Unnecessary touch. Nabibakhsh missed Young Chang Ko but Fazel volunteered. Here, take me! Lead gone! Two men remain for U Mumba.
Funny and we were talking about the U Mumba defense before. Warriors have taken over.
Bengal Warriors has called for a timeout. And the coach is making it clear- they have just a one-point lead. We can do it! Of course they can.
26-27 One more point for the Warriors.
Good defensive tactics here. Arjun Deshwal has been dispatched by Baldev Singh. This brings up the High 5 for the man too. Great night for the young man.
25-27 WHY WAS THAT NECESSARY SANDEEP? Brute force from Sandeep as he blocks Maninder there near the mid line but Mani is no amateur. He gets a leg across. Point to the Warriors.
24-27 Nabibakhsh looks visibly wary when he heads anywhere near Fazel.
And this has worked in favour of U Mumba. Empty raid from the Iranian AGAIN.
24-27
Baldev has proven good for the Warriors and he gets Rohit Baliyan. Lovely ankle hold here from Baldev. Point to the Warriors.
OH WHAT A CHAOTIC FIVE MINUTES THESE HAVE BEEN! Mumbai relinquished its lead and then snatched it back and how! Time is money here now for the Warriors. They need a plan B and THEY NEED IT NOW.
23-27
Maninder is in again and he thinks he can make it through. Rohit Baliyan says nothing doing! Fazel and Sandeep come around as reinforcements and Mani has no chance to breath there! Brilliant kabaddi from Fazel's boys here. Time for a time out! I need this breather.
23-26 Oh what a tackle from the Bengal Warriors. Do-or-die raid for U Mumba and it sends in Ajinkya Kapre. He stands no chance. Jeeva Kumar does the needful and Kapre will warm the bench.
21-26
Maninder took out Surinder earlier. We see Young Chang Ko taking the place where Surinder usually plays. It's clear Fazel has a plan for Maninder and its an empty raid. What a night. What a change of fortune and form for the Warriors.
20-26 Arjun Deshwal walks over for his raid. Two men remain for the Warriors and he has them both.
Abhishek Singh who, Deshwal asks! What a night for the young man. ALL OUT effected by U Mumba and Super 10 for the brilliant Arjun Deshwal. He is single-handedly anchoring the raiding for Mumbai. Maninder and Baldev know what this means. Lead given away.
Bengal Warriors is down to two men now. U Mumba stil have all men on the mat.
19-21
Arjun Deshwal sends out Taghi. Maninder comes in to raid now.
U Mumba is striking back. 19-21. Mumbai in the lead.
19-19
Mohammad Nabibakhsh has not been as free as he should have been when he raids
. Wary of Fazel? We think so. Empty raid from the Iranian.
19-19 Arjun Deshwal comes in to raid. He has not been tackled so far and he won't be this time either.
He has taken two people with him as he crosses the line. Rinku has conceded again. Jeeva Kumar and Rinku Narwal are out of the mat.
Mani is determined. But Prapanjan comes back on to raid. Empty raid though.
My oh my. U Mumba is in trouble here. Bengal Warriors has effected an all-out. Now here's where you can see the momentum change. The smiles are off on the faces of the boys in Mumbai. Fazel has been sent out for the first time in the last five minutes and it seems to have changed the momentum of the game.
18-17 Rohit Baliyan raids for U Mumba but he has not done enough.
Baldev Singh brings him down. What is happening here, no Fazel - change in momentum. Suddenly, a change in the tide. U Mumba only has itself to blame for letting the lead go here.
15-15
After an empty raid from Arjun Deshwal, Nabibakhsh takes out Deshwal.
Why has U Mumba not substituted?
14-16 SUPER RAID! Prapanjan comes to play and makes it look so easy.
SUPER RAID. THREE POINTS and he has taken out Surinder, Fazel Atrachali and Young Chang Ko.
Bengal Warriors enjoys the second half and usually do well here. Can it come back on track here?
We're back for action from the second half.
It's easy to see the difference between the two teams if you take one look at the captains. Maninder has had a quiet day and has not been on the mat long enough to make as much of an impact as he could. But leaving him aside, the rest of the Warriors unit has not risen to the occasion either. They need a change in strategy.
With that we come to the end of the first half.
Sandeep and Fazel are taking time to discuss strategy. Fazel is busy urging his boys to go all out against the Warriors. I absolutely love listening to these conversations from the mat. They've done well, U Mumba but the question now is can they keep the momentum going? We will have to wait for the second half to know. Like the boys, I am going to take a few minutes to give my throbbing fingers and bludgeoned keyboard a little rest. Don't go anywhere.
11-16 The Warriors have got Sandeep.
They insist that he needs some rest after such a brilliant first half showing. Off to the bench you go, Sandeep!
Fazel being active on the mat means a very different flavour of play from Mumbai. As a fan, not being biased here, but this is a delightful game. Warriors are trying to match the U Mumba juggernaut but the raiders haven't gotten going for the Warriors.
10-16 Sandeep and Fazel have pulled off a beautiful tackle here to get Mani to the ground. Such good coordination between the men here for U Mumba. Maninder has got just a solitary point from six raids. This is not a night Maninder will want to remember, if it goes this way.
Five raids for U Mumba and Arjun Deshwal has brought the team all five. Rohit Baliyan is oddly quiet today.
So many empty raids and guess who this is hurting. The Warriors of course.
Fazel is grinning. What a dominant showing this has been from the Sultan's men.
The referee first says review unsuccessful, my oh my. Oh wait. He said "wait".
And now he says, "Review successful"
5-12
Rakesh Narwal came in for the Warriors but he has been tackled out of the mat. There is an argument over the points here. The TV umpire is looking to see if there is a touch point to be awarded to Bengal. Fazel had reviewed and we wait.
OH AND WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE IS THAT AN ALL-OUT? Fazel has reviewed.
SUBSTITUTION for the Warriors again: Rakesh Narwal was booted out for Baldev Singh before. He comes back in and replaces Jeeva Kumar. Bengal is crawling, trying to keep up with Mumbai. Easier said than done for them though.
4-8 Oh successful raid for Rakesh Narwal. And the bonus to boot. Mumbai is happy giving away the bonus, as Fazel keeps saying during the game. Finally, a few points for the Warriors. Vinoth warms the bench now.
SUBSTITUTION for the Bengal Warriors as the game stands 2-8 in Mumbai's favour.
Rakesh Narwal comes in for Baldev Singh.
2-6 It's a do-or-die raid for U Mumba. Arjun Deshwal walks in and walks out sending Rinku Narwal to the bench.
2-5 Nabibakhsh comes out but walks away with an empty raid. He knows Mumbai is targetting him. Let's see what happens as U Mumba comes out to raid again.
2-5 Arjun Deshwal has just returned after an empty raid for Mumbai. Prapanjan is in now from the Warriors. Can he get a point for the Boys in Blue?
NOOO. OF COURSE NOT. Not when the Sultan is on the prowl. Oh Fazel is on fire. Easy points for U Mumba and the men in black are letting the defence shine, as expected.
2-4 Good start here for U Mumba. The point to Bengal means Mani is back on the mat but he's sent back just as quickly. Sandeep Narwal executes a vicious tackle. That head to head is looking bright in Narwal's favour. What a contest this between the two boys.
1-4 AND HE DELIVERS. Vinoth Kumar has done the job and he's taken out Jeeva Kumar. But Vinoth goes out as well. Point each to each team.
There have been two empty raids for Mumbai here, so it makes the next one a do-or-die raid. Vinoth Kumar is out to take the pressure off U Mumba.
1-2 Oh Bengal Warriors is not to be taken lightly here. Prapanjan is such an important player and he has done the job. He's taken out Surinder. We know how vital he is to the Mumbai defense. Smart play.
0-2 Arjun Deshwal raids for U Mumba
and he's taken out Nabibakhsh. Clever game here from Mumbai.
0-1 - U Mumba draws first blood
and Maninder is shown his place. Surinder and Young Chang Ko ensure Maninder is tackled down.
And the countdown begins. Always gives me goosebumps, but the night has just begun. Lot more hair-raising raids and tackles to go. And we begin!
Toss: U Mumba wins the toss. Bengal Warriors will raid first.
But we have a game to go before that and the boys are heading out. Fazel Atrachali is leading his boys out. Mani is out as well and the kids in the crowds are ecstatic. What a show the Warriors have put up this season.
The crowds in the Pataliputra stadium seem to be waiting impatiently for the second game of the night when the home team comes out to play for one last time.
Hello and welcome back to LIVE action from the Pataliputra Stadium in Patna. We begin the evening with Bengal Warriors taking on U Mumba.
I, for one, am excited about this encounter because its safe to say that the tournament's best raiding outfit is taking on the tournament's best defensive unit.
Fazel Atrachali's men will look to end their stint in Patna with a win, as will Maninder Singh's men in blue.
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