Patna Pirates put it across defending champion, U Mumba, 40-26 on the concluding day of the Bengaluru leg of the ProKabaddi League here on Saturday.
Pirates are now undefeated after three matches, while U Mumba slipped to a second loss in four fixtures.
Rajesh Mondal gave Pirates an early lead when his raid landed a windfall of four touches. His side moved 5-3 ahead at this point, and apart from a few minor hiccups, it was smooth sailing for Pirates from here.
Mondal finished with 8 points. Pardeep Narwal (8 points) also tasted success, doing duty when Mondal needed a rest.
For U Mumba, skipper Anup Kumar waged a lone battle.
U Mumba coach, Bhaskaran Edacherry, stated that the poor start cost his side dear. “Mondal taking four points really set us back. It was the turning point of the match. Our defenders lost a bit of confidence after that, and the team lost momentum,” he said.
Anup, who had a few disagreements with the referees, stated that he lost his cool as a result of wrong ecisions.
In the other match, Telugu Titans took out Bengaluru Bulls 35-26 on the final day of the Bengaluru leg. A full-house at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium left the venue disappointed, as their side succumbed to a third loss in five outings. Titans, meanwhile, sit pretty on top of the points table.
Visiting captain Rahul Chaudhari (11 points) was in prime form, taking out antis with swift sideways movement. Bulls, on the other hand, was erratic on offence, and paid the price for a few overzealous plays. The home side also suffered when key player, Amit Rathi, was sent off for kicking a defender during a raid.
Result: Patna Pirates 40 (Rajesh Mondal 8, Pardeep Narwal 8) bt U Mumba 26 (Anup Kumar 9); Telugu Titans 35 (Rahul Chaudhari 11) bt Bengaluru Bulls 26.
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