PKL 9: Puneri Paltan hold their top spot, Bengal Warriors secured victory

Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Puneri Paltan

The Puneri Paltan put up a clinical performance to register a 39-32 victory over the Jaipur Pink Panthers in the vivo Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 9 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Aslam Inamdar emerged as the best player for the Pune side with 9 points in the game.

Arjun Deshwal picked up a few touch points as the Jaipur Pink Panthers took the lead at 6-3 in the 6th minute. However, Sombir tackled Deshwal and Mohit Goyat pulled off a raid in quick succession to help their team stay in the game at 6-8 in the 9th minute. Aslam Inamdar effected a magnificent raid in the 12th minute as the Pune side levelled the scores at 9-9. The Puneri Paltan kept raging on and inflicted an ALL OUT in the 17th minute to take the lead at 16-14. Moments later, Akash Shinde carried out a brilliant raid, catching out Reza Mirbagheri and Abhishek KS. Shinde continued to shine as Puneri Paltan led at 20-16 at the end of the first half.

Goyat effected a fantastic multi-point raid and reduced the Panthers to just two members on the mat in the opening minutes of the second half. The Puneri Paltan inflicted another ALL OUT soon after and attained a stronghold of the match at 27-18 in the 25th minute. However, Deshwal kept the Panthers in the game through a magnificent raid catching out Abinesh Nadarajan and Fazel Atrachali. But, Goyat kept getting touch points and helped his team stay in the lead at 33-24 in the 33rd minute. V Ajith Kumar picked up a couple of touch points for the Panthers, but Aslam Inamdar showcased top form in the other end as the Pune side stayed ahead at 36-29. The Paltan rode on the momentum and eventually closed out a comprehensive victory.

Bengal Warriors vs Bengaluru Bulls

The Bengal Warriors looked to be headed for a defeat for most of the game against the dominant Bengaluru Bulls, but roared back in style in the final minutes to clinch a 41-38 victory at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Maninder Singh and Shrikant Jadhav starred for the Warriors with 12 & 9 points respectively. 

The Bengal Warriors drew first blood in the fast-paced early exchanges, with Maninder Singh’s Super Raid giving them the momentum. The Bulls however landed a Super Tackle on Maninder with Aman leading the defensive charge and Bharat chipped in with raids, as the contest started to even out close to the 10-minute mark.  

Maninder was in the mood and landed another multi-point raid soon after as the Warriors were looking to pull away, during a frantic half. While Maninder leading the charge in attack, the Warriors’ defence came to the party and overpowered their opponents, pulling away into a 6-point lead with just a little over 5 minutes to go in the first half. The Bulls though bounced back through Bharat and Neeraj Narwal surged into the lead at 22-18 at the end of the first half.  

With the momentum on their side, Bharat started to pick up the points with relative ease in the first few minutes of the second half as the Bulls moved into an 8-point lead. Vikash Kandola effected a Super Raid soon after, putting more pressure on the Warriors. 

Girish Maruti Ernak helped chip away at the lead and brought the Warriors back into the game, with just over 10 minutes to go. Maninder picked up a tackle point too as Bengal came within touching distance of the Bulls, just before the final phase of the game.

With less than 2 minutes to go, the Warriors trailed by 1 point and were firmly in the box seat. Shrikant Jadhav and Maninder then picked off some crucial raid points as the Warriors clinched a win in the final moments of the match.  

Award Winners of the Night:

Match 1: Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Puneri Paltan

vivo Perfect Player of the Match - Arjun Deshwal (Jaipur Pink Panthers)

Dream 11 Gamechanger of the Match - Aslam Inamdar (Puneri Paltan)

Moment of the Match - Sombir (Puneri Paltan)

Match 2: Bengal Warriors vs Bengaluru Bulls

vivo Perfect Player of the Match - Girish Maruti Ernak (Bengal Warriors)

Dream 11 Gamechanger of the Match - Maninder Singh (Bengal Warriors)

Moment of the Match - Girish Maruti Ernak (Bengal Warriors)