PKL 2019: Bengal Warriors defeats Tamil Thalaivas to go second

The Bengal Warriors got the better of the Tamil Thalaivas in a 35-26 win on Thursday, thanks to a Super-10 from star raider Prapanjan and a High-5 from left-corner Rinku Narwal.

Tamil Thalaivas captain Ajay Thakur bagged his first 'Super-10' of the season but that was not enough as his former teammate K Prapanjan guided the Bengal Warriors to a dominant win.

Bengal Warriors produced a clinical performance in Delhi's Thyagaraj Sports complex to defeat Tamil Thalaivas 35-26 in a Pro Kabaddi League Season 7 match here on Thursday.

K Prapanjan’s Super-10, ably supported by Maninder Singh’s nine raid points, was the difference for the Kolkata-based side which moved to second spot on the points table.

Experienced all-rounder Manjeet Chhillar returned to Thalaivas’ line-up as coach E Bhaskaran made a few changes to bring more stability to the side. Shabeer Bapu was added in the starting seven to share the raiding responsibilities with Arjuna Award recipient Ajay Thakur and Rahul Chaudhari.

Pro Kabaddi, As it Happened | Bengal Warriors beats Tamil Thalaivas 35-26

The Chennai-based team started the match on a bright note in front of a packed stadium, with skipper Ajay impressing with his raids and the defence not allowing Bengal raider Maninder Singh to settle down.

But Prapanjan had other ideas and his multiple two-point raids helped Bengal to finally inflict a crucial All-Out in the 11th minute.

The experienced Thalaivas did not give up and immediately got back into the match thanks largely to Ajay Thakur who picked up eight points in a first half that ended 15-14 in favour of the Warriors.

The second-half began with only three men remaining for Bengal but Sukesh Hegde produced a smart raid, taking out the dangerous Manjeet Chhillar in the process, to bring about a revival for the Warriors.

Tamil Thalaivas went on to rue the lost opportunity, despite a three-point super raid by Anand with eight minutes left in the clock, reducing Bengal Warriors’ lead margin to just three points.

However, the Chennai side kept making silly errors, especially in defence, to let Bengal inflict another All-Out with just four minutes left in the match.

The Warriors defence held firm in the final minutes to see out the match and emerge victorious but questions will be asked about the performance of the Thalaivas who are failing to perform despite having a star-studded squad.

Ajay Thakur’s first Super-10 of the season mattered very little as the Maninder-led team proved to be the better side in all departments.