Welcome to Sportstar's coverage of the Pro Kabaddi League. This is Nihit Sachdeva and I will be taking you through today's PKL 8 match between Jaipur Pink Panthers and Tamil Thalaivas.
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Summary: Triple panga night brings yet another tie. Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Tamil Thalaivas brings yet another tie. The way these two teams played today, there was hardly anything to separate them. The defense of both sides was average and was brutally exploited by raiders Arjun Deshwal, Manjeet and Ajinkya Pawar as all of them clinched Super 10s. Tamil Thalaivas might feel that they let another win slip out of their hands as Jaipur won their last two points in the last minute. With this tie, both teams stay where they were before the match - Jaipur Pink Panthers at seventh and Tamil Thalaivas at eighth - but they are very close to sixth-placed Bengal Warriors with a game in hand. Here's the link to the updated points table -
34-34: It's a tie!!! Nitin Rawal goes in for the final raid of the match. Tamil Thalaivas is playing a high line in order to deny the bonus. However, Sahil Singh goes for the thigh hold but it was just a bit too close to the mid-line and Nitin Rawal had no problem in winning the crucial point. Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Tamil Thalaivas ends in a 34-34 tie!!!
Six seconds to go and one raid from Jaipur is all that is left.
33-34: Sandeep Dhull doesn't care what Ajinkya does as he goes for the tackle and gets its done. Less than a minute to go.
Coach Udayakumar has instructed Ajinkya not to stay static during the raid.
32-34: Brijendra has silently done well for Jaipur tonight but not this time as he gets mobbed by the Tamil Thalaivas defense.
32-33: Sahil Singh with a double thigh hold on Arjun Deshwal returns the favour.
32-32: This is quite a duel. Sandeep Dhull executes a solid ankle hold on Manjeet and the tall raider was too deep this time to use his height.
31-32: Ajinkya Pawar gets a quick running hand touch on Nitin Rawal.
Final strategic time-out. Five minutes to go. This has been a topsy-turvy contest so far and therefore, you simply cannot predict what is going to happen next. What I can tell you is that this has been one memorable night for raiders Arjun Deshwal, Ajinkya Pawar and Manjeet as all have Super 10s.
31-31: Do-or-die raid, Arjun Deshwal goes in, waits for the perfect opportunity and then lands an immaculate toe touch on Surjeet who has had one horrible night.
30-31: Now Manjeet gets a touch on Sahul Kumar and he is mighty confident that he has. You are right, Manjeet.
30-30: Do-or-die raid for Brijendra and Mohit Jakhar goes for the dash straight away. Easy touch point.
29-30: Sandeep Dhull and Amit can't be blamed. They tried their best to pull Manjeet back and almost did it but Manjeet got his finger tips across the mid line.
First strategic time out. Ten minutes to go. Arjun Deshwal is single-handedly destroying the Tamil Thalaivas defense. Not many can do that and that just goes on to show the talent and quality of this raider.
29-28: Arjun Deshwal thinks he has picked up a bonus but the decision is not what he thinks. Jaipur have lost their review in challenging that decision.
29-28: Jaipur take the lead. Ajinkya has been stopped for once and it is Sahul Kumar with the ankle hold who has done it.
28-28: Brijendra picks up a bonus.
27-28: ALL OUT!!!! Ajinkya does not shake hands and challenges Arjun to take the touch point. Ajinkya goes for the ankle hold but it was not lethal enough.
24-27: Ajinkya picks up a bonus but not a touch point.
24-26: My word, Arjun! A simple tap on Surjeet's face and he has reduced TT back to one man.
23-26: Ajinkya saves the all out. He invites Sandeep Dhull for the ankle hold and then escapes with the touch point quickly.
22-24: What did I say? He just won't stop! Arjun picks up one more touch point.
21-24: Sub Santhapanaselvam puts in the dash to push Arjun Deshwal off the mat after Arjun takes the touch off Sagar on the left corner. However, this raider just won't stop.
19-24: Ajinkya is making it look so simple. Another multi-point raid and this time it has two touch points.
19-22: A rare mistake from Sagar Rathee as he goes for an unnecessary back hold on Arjun Deshwal.
18-22: Sahul Kumar has been brought in by Jaipur but he does not stay for too long as he tries a thigh hold on Ajinkya in the second half's very first raid but fails. Ajinkya had already taken the bonus.
Half-time: Jaipur Pink Panthers 18-20 Tamil Thalaivas
18-20: Final raid of the first half and Brijendra has a crucial touch point off Surjeet. Post the all out, Jaipur have done well to close the gap.
17-20: The comeback is on. Arjun fools Sahil Singh on the left corner into attempting an ankle hold and then runs back freely.
16-20: Sandeep finally gets his man. A great ankle hold on Manjeet and the raider can't escape this time.
14-19: Arjun Deshwal with a supreme running hand touch on Surjeet. Well done, young man.
13-19: Sandeep Dhull again goes for Manjeet's ankle and again he uses his reach to reach the mid-line safely. Sandeep needs support or else this will keep on happening.
13-18: ALL OUT!!! Brijendra, the last Jaipur man on the mat, goes in for the raid and picks up a bonus before being tackled.
12-15: And this time he takes out Sandeep Dhull. Ajinkya is charged up.
11-14: Ajinkya, you beauty! The do-or-die raid specialist has done it again as he escapes the hold of two Jaipur defenders to make it past the mid-line.
11-12: Jaipur brings in sub Brijendra for the do-or-die raid but he doesn't need to do anything fancy as Manjeet of all people has stepped out of bounds in defense.
10-12: Do-or-die raid for Manjeet and Amit Nagar can't believe he has provided the easiest of the touch points with a half-hearted ankle hold.
10-11: SUPER TACKLE!!!! Superb Ajinkya! A massive tackle on Jaipur's star raider Arjun Deshwal and he brings TT ahead again.
10-9: Do-or-die raid for Jaipur now. Arjun Deshwal, the specialist, goes in, gets a running hand touch on Sahil and then easily escapes Mohit's block.
8-9: Manjeet is in for the do-or-die raid. Dharmaraj Cheralathan goes for the ankle hold, gets a decent grip but no support and Manjeet makes it past the mid-line.
8-8: This is insane. Nitin Rawal was in for the raid, didn't get a touch, stepped into the lobbies unknowingly leading to self out for three Tamil Thalaivas players. Thalaivas have lost their review in the process as well.
5-7: SUPER RAID FOR MANJEET!! What an effort from the tall raider! The Jaipur defense tried their best to push him off the mat but he got his hand across the line anyway sending three Jaipur players back to the bench.
5-4: Great start for all-rounder Nitin Rawal who first handled Sahil Gulia's block and then got a touch on Mohit too.
3-4: Do-or-die raid for Ajinkya Pawar and he doesn't waste much time in get a running hand touch on Dharmaraj Cherlathan on the left corner.
3-3: Arjun Deshwal in for the raid and Sagar Krishna gets an excellent ankle hold to stop him.
3-2: Left corner Sandeep Dhull goes for Manjeet's ankle but the tall raider uses his reach to good effect.
3-1: Arjun Deshwal picks up a bonus point.
2-1: Manjeet gets Amit Nagar with a running kick to revive Surjeet.
2-0: Arjun Deshwal in for the opening raid and Thalaivas skipper Surjeet Singh comes up with a brilliant dash to push him off the mat. However, Jaipur have reviewed (yes, in the very first raid!) asking for a bonus and touch point. And they are right.
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TOSS - Tamil Thalaivas win the toss. J aipur Pink Panthers to raid first.
9:50PM: Fazal Atrachali's U Mumba has climbed up to fifth spot on the points table with a convincing 42-35 win over Telugu Titans. However, they can slip to sixth if Jaipur Pink Panthers beat Tamil Thalaivas today. Live action coming up shortly.
9:40PM: In the first match of the evening, Anup Kumar's Puneri Paltan caused a massive upset by beating Hi-Flyer Pawan Sehrawat's Bengaluru Bulls 37-35. Raider Mohit Goyat put an all-round performance clinching a Super 10 along with three tackle points while defender Sombir had a High Five. You can go through the highlights of that match here:
9:32PM: Remember it is a triple panga night and currently the second match between U Mumba and Telugu Titans is on. With 10 minutes to go, Fazal Atrachali's U Mumba is leading 31-24 and the match is being covered by my colleague Shyam Vasudevan. Follow his live blog here:
9:25PM: LINE-UPS!!!
Jaipur Pink Panthers: Sandeep Dhull (c), Arjun Deshwal, Nitin Rawal, Amit Nagar, Vishal Lather, Amit Kharb, Dharmaraj Cheralathan
Tamil Thalaivas: Surjeet Singh (c), Sahil Gulia, Sagar Rathee, Mohit Jakhar, Sagar Krishna, Ajinkya Pawar, Manjeet
9:20PM: Head-to-head stats: Matches played - 5, Matches won by Jaipur Pink Panthers - 3, Matches won by Tamil Thalaivas - 1, Matches tied - 1, Last meeting - the two teams played out a 31-31 tie
9:15PM: This is a big match for Tamil Thalaivas too as they are currently eighth and just a point behind today's opponent. Surjeet's Singh men had a huge opportunity to climb up on the table in their previous match but a surprise 35-37 lose to Gujarat Giants has pushed them back. Throwing away leads in most of their games has caused them major damage and the Thalaivas would hope that once they go ahead against the Pink Panthers today, they stay strong and maintain that lead.
9:10PM: Seventh-placed Jaipur Pink Panthers come into this match on a two-match winless run. After a 31-31 tie against Tamil Thalaivas, the Pink Panthers lost a close 34-35 game to last-placed team Telugu Titans, which was winless till then. Raiders Arjun Deshwal and Deepak Niwas Hooda did their job as they picked 21 raid points but it was the defense that let them down. In the second half against the Titans, the Jaipur Pink Panthers could only get three tackle points, something which is unusual for an otherwise compact defensive unit that has the likes of Sahul Kumar and Sandeep Dhull. This is a crucial match for the inaugural champions as a win against Tamil Thalaivas could take them to fifth on the points table.
9:05PM: Another helpful reminder of the rules. If you need it!
9PM: Hello folks! Welcome to our live coverage of the final game of the triple panga night between Jaipur Pink Panthers and Tamil Thalaivas. Before we get to that, here is our review of the season so far by my colleague Lavanya Lakshminarayanan -
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