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 Bengaluru Bulls and Jaipur Pink Panthers.
Alright then, that brings us to the end of our Pro Kabaddi League coverage for the day. We will be back tomorrow. See you then!
Meanwhile, you can also check out our Kings of Kabaddi series from PKL 7 - a happier time pre-COVID when we got to physically sit down with some of the biggest names in the league and hear their stories. You can check out all episodes here:
Bengaluru Bulls storms to the top of the PKL points table as it moves to 28 points from seven games. The season six champion rode on an excellent performance from Pawan Sehrawat, who picked up a mammoth 18 points. Bengaluru Bulls had an unassailable 16-point lead in the second half but let their guard down towards the end and allowed Jaipur Pink Panthers to escape with a point.
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FULL-TIME! Bengaluru Bulls extends its unbeaten run to six games as it defeats Jaipur Pink Panthers 38-31.
38-31 Arjun gets rid of Pawan and that's the game!
The Bengaluru Bulls have seemingly switched off in the last seven minutes and have, strangely, let the Jaipur Pink Panthers back into the game in some capacity .
38-29 ALL OUT FOR JAIPUR PINK PANTHERS! They have reduced the deficit to just nine points now and will win a point if they lose by less than seven points.
37-25 Pawan had been tackled by Deepak Narwal and the Bengaluru Bulls are down to two men! An All Out in the offing.
37-24 SUPER 10 FOR ARJUN DESHWAL! That's his sixth consecutive Super 10 of the season! WOW.
37-23 That's a fabulous running hand touch from Arjun Deshwal and he gets the better of Mayur Kadam!
36-22 That's a silly point to concede...GB More makes a rather unnecessary tackle on Arjun and gives Jaipur Pink Panthers an easy point.
36-21 Saurabh Nandal grabs on to Deepak Hooda''s ankle...but is no match for the Jaipur Pink Panthers skipper.
35-20 Deepak Hooda comes off the bench and strikes right away as he gets a toe touch on Pawan. However, it might be too little too late from the Jaipur Pink Panthers captain.
35-19 Sachin Narwal does well to pick up a point for his side as he side-steps Mahender.
34-17 That was so quick, I nearly missed the raid! Pawan darts across the mat and gets a running hand touch on Sahul. The Bulls are now DOUBLE of the Jaipur Pink Panthers' total.
33-17 That's a gutsy move from Mahender and it pays off! He makes an advanced ankle hold on Deepak Hooda and executes it to perfection.
What a stunning game Pawan is having! He's already bagged 17 points and has powered his side to an enormous 15-point lead.
32-17 ALL OUT FOR BENGALURU BULLS! It's almost too easy for Pawan as Deepak Singh steps out of bounds and Sachin Narwal, strangely, offers no challenge.
28-16 Pawan outfoxes Dharmaraj once again and the Jaipur Pink Panthers are down to two men.
27-16 Deepak Hooda goes in for the do-or-die raid and bags a bonus, but is soon tackled by the six-man Bulls defence.
26-15 Pawan anticipated Sahul's tackle and does really well to overpower him.
Elavarasan, who has made his PKL debut today, has made absolutely no impact so far. He's attempted zero tackles in 25 minutes of play.
25-15 Arjun needs to pick up a few quick points here....but finds no way past the Bengaluru Bulls defence.
24-15 Dharmaj makes a really good tackle to eliminate Deepak Narwal.
HALF-TIME! Bengaluru Bulls leads the Jaipur Pink Panthers by six points at 20-14. Pawan Sehrawat has excelled with 14 points, while Jaipur Pink Panthers has heavily relied on Arjun Deshwal. The Bengaluru Bulls, so far, have comprehensively looked the better side.
20-14 Deepak Hooda does really well to simply give Mahender the slip and then gets a touch on Aman to reduce his side's deficit to six points.
Dharmaraj, at 46, is the oldest player in the PKL. Here's more on his PKL journey and his passion for agriculture -
20-12 Pawan is caught off-guard and Sahul races from the left corner to spear him off the court. WOW!
20-10 Pawan picks up two more as he gets the bonus and evades Naveen's tackle with finesse.
As long as Pawan is on the court, the Jaipur Pink Panthers are going to struggle.
17-9 Arjun targets the left corner Aman and then leaps past Mayur's dash to pick up two points.
17-7 SUPER 10 FOR PAWAN! He wriggles out of Dharmaraj's ankle hold and has brought up his Super 10 in no time!
14-7 ALL OUT FOR BENGALURU BULLS! Pawan, who had a slow start, has seized control of the Jaipur Pink Panthers defence and eliminates the two remaining men in Dharmaraj and Sachin.
10-6 Jaipur Pink Panthers are now down to two men! Pawan entices Naveen to make a tackle and has the last laugh. Pawan's already got seven points to his name.
9-6 Pawan strikes again and he's propelled the Bengaluru Bulls to a three-point lead. Leading from the front, is the skipper.
7-5 Bonus plus a point for Pawan! He gets rid of Deepak Singh now. Jaipur Pink Panthers looking in all sorts of trouble.
5-5 Pawan gets rid of another key member of the Jaipur Pink Panthers team as he lands a kick on Deepak Hooda.
4-5 Arjun has been tackled to the mat and guess who initiated that move? Pawan Sehrawat!
3-5 Arjun picks up his first points of the evening as he pulls away from Aman's ankle hold and also manages a touch on Mayur.
2-3 Deepak Hooda seems to have done enough to bag at least two points...but he's ushered off the mat before he can cross the mid-line.
1-3 Look at that for power! Dharmaraj, the oldest player in the league at 46 years of age, grabs hold of Chandran's foot and yanks him away.
Arjun Deshwal, sporting a bandage over his right eyebrow, has been the among the most consistent raiders in PKL 8 and is the only player other than Naveen Kumar to score a Super 10 in each game this season.
1-2 Pawan gets a touch on Deepak but runs into a wall of Jaipur Pink Panthers defenders.
1-1 Both the captains are on the mat! Deepak Hooda is far too slow for Saurabh Nandal, who grabs him with a fine back hold.
0-1 Pawan Sehrawat has been tackled in his very first raid! He gets trapped in a clinical tackle hold from Deepak Singh.
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8:40pm: LINE UPS!
Bengaluru Bulls: Pawan Sehrawat, Chandran Ranjith, Deepak Narwal, Mayur Kadam, Mahender Singh, Saurabh Nandal, Aman
Jaipur Pink Panthers: Deepak Niwas Hooda, Arjun Deshwal, Elavarasan, Deepak Singh, Naveen, Sahul Kumar, Dharmarj Cheralathan
8:35pm: The Jaipur Pink Panthers haven’t had a great start to their campaign and are currently 10th on the points table, having played a game fewer than all but one team above them. They have lost two on the trot and will be looking to bounce back today. The Panthers have been inconsistent outside of Arjun Deshwal, who ranks second in the league in average raid points this season. Deepak Hooda is the team’s second-highest points scorer with 32, less than half of Deshwal’s tally. The team boasts of big names, but haven’t stepped up so far this season.
8:25pm: Bengaluru Bulls are on a five-game unbeaten run, the longest in the league behind Dabang Delhi. The Bulls raiding unit, led by Pawan Sehrawat, has been on-song, while the defence has also stepped up. The team currently has the most tackle points in the league (65) but does not have in a single defender in the top five tackle points scorers, showcasing that it is a well-drilled unit not reliant on individuals.
Bengaluru Bulls vs. Jaipur Pink Panthers head-to-he
8:20pm: If you're still new to the PKL caravan, no worries, we've got you covered for all the terms and rules that might confuse you.
8:10pm: Patna Pirates and Tamil Thalaivas are playing out a thriller in our first game of the evening. Follow the final 10 minutes here -
8pm: Hey folks and welcome to our Pro Kabaddi League coverage for the day. Before we discuss today's fixtures, let's quickly recap the last four days. Here's everything you need to know about the PKL since the turn of the year -
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