PKL 9: Telugu Titans end 12-match losing run, Jaipur Pink Panthers trumps UP Yoddhas, Dabang Delhi edge Patna Pirates

Arjun Deshwal and Siddharth Desai starred for both victorious teams.

PKL 9 Day 39 Match 1: UP Yoddhas 29-42 Jaipur Pink Panthers

Jaipur Pink Panthers put up a clinical performance to defeat U.P. Yoddhas 42-29 in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 9 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday. Arjun Deshwal emerged as the best player for the Pink Panthers with a whopping 19 points in the game.

Arjun Deshwal and Rahul Chaudhari picked up raid points as the Jaipur Pink Panthers took the lead at 4-0 in the 4th minute. The Panthers tackled Rohit Tomar, soon after, and reduced the Yoddhas to just two members on the mat. Moments later, the Panthers tackled Surender Gill and inflicted an ALL-OUT to take a massive lead at 10-3. Jaipur's defense unit led by Ankush continued to shine as the Pink Panthers attained a stronghold of the match at 13-3 in the 10th minute.

https://youtu.be/1Nhi7ck1hvw

Pardeep Narwal effected a couple of fantastic raids, but Deshwal continued to pick up raid points from the other side to help Jaipur stay in the lead at 14-7. Tomar tried to pull the momentum towards the Yoddhas, but Reza Mirbagheri stood tall for the Panthers as they extended their lead at 18-8 in the 17th minute. Tomar found it difficult to breach his opponent's defense, which allowed the Jaipur side to lead at 22-10 at the end of the first half.

The Pink Panthers rode on the momentum and inflicted an ALL-OUT in the opening minutes of the second half. The Jaipur defense proved to be too strong for the Yoddhas as they failed to effect raids consistently. Later on, Narwal pulled off a couple of magnificent raids, but the Yoddhas were too far behind the Pink Panthers at 16-32 in the 30th minute. However, Narwal continued to pick up raid points and reduced the Jaipur side to just two members on the mat.

Moments later, the Yoddhas tackled Deshwal and carried out an ALL-OUT, but the Jaipur side still had a comfortable lead at 34-21. The Yoddhas tried to reduce the deficit through raider James Kamweti in the last few minutes of the match, but it was too big a mountain to climb as the Panthers eventually closed out a comprehensive victory.

PKL 9 Day 39 Match 2: Telugu Titans 32-26 U Mumba

Spurred on by their home fans, the Telugu Titans produced a fantastic performance to defeat U Mumba 32-26 and ended their 12-match losing streak in PKL Season 9. Siddharth Desai was the star for the home side with nine points in the match held at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday.

U Mumba were off to a flyer in the early exchanges with Guman Singh and Kiran Magar leading the charge. And without much ado, U Mumba kept the Titans at arms’ length, holding on to the lead, especially with the defensive unit chipping in as well.

https://youtu.be/RUbf_ns9ti4

Midway through the first half, Guman got in a SUPER RAID, which further strengthened their dominance in the contest, even though Abhishek Singh was doing all he could with his raids for the Titans. However, Siddharth Desai in attack and Ankit in defence started the fightback for the home side, squaring up scores with less than three minutes to go in the first half. Mohsen Maghsoudlou added more bite for the Titans, but it was U Mumba who led by one point at the break, with the score reading 15-14.

The second half started slower than the first phase, with the early exchanges seeing a few empty raids. Abhishek Singh gave the Titans the lead for the first time on the night, with 14 minutes left, giving the home fans something to cheer about. A SUPER TACKLE from the U Mumba side on Abhishek though put them back in front with just over 10 minutes to go, in what was turning out to be a low-scoring game.

The contest see-sawed in the final stages as well, with the Titans inflicting an ALL-OUT to take a three-point lead. Thereafter, Parvesh Bhainswal and Vishal Bhardwaj cranked up the intensity in the final minutes as the Titans eventually picked up a victory, they were desperately looking for.

PKL 9 Day 39 Match 3: Dabang Delhi 30-27 Patna Pirates

Dabang Delhi K.C. earned a much-needed 30-27 victory over Patna Pirates in PKL Season 9 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday. In a game of defenders taking centre stage for both sides, Delhi's Vishal & Amit Hooda scored five tackle points each, while Patna's Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh set the record for the most tackle points in a single game (16 points) in the history of the tournament.

https://youtu.be/pJ1HkvCcvfw

Vijay Malik picked up a few raid points as the Dabang Delhi K.C. side took the lead at 9-3 in the seventh minute. The Pirates were on the verge of getting all out, but they tackled Naveen Kumar and stayed afloat. The Delhi side had more opportunities to pick up an all-out, but Ranjit Naik in the raiding department and Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh in defense kept them at bay.

The Pirates carried out a SUPER TACKLE in the 16th minute and reached within touching distance of Delhi's score at 10-12. Naveen found it difficult to breach the opponent's defense, but the team from the capital city managed to stay in the lead at 14-12.

The Pirates hung in there and eventually levelled the scores at 14-14 in the 24th minute. Neeraj Kumar and Chiyaneh pulled off a SUPER TACKLE in the 27th minute and helped their side to take the lead at 17-16. The defensive duo carried out another SUPER TACKLE soon after as the Pirates kept forging ahead.

However, the Delhi defense also showcased top form, disallowing the Pirates to pull ahead with a big lead. But, Neeraj and Chiyaneh kept carrying out tackles and helped the Pirates stay in the lead at 21-19 in the 33rd minute. The Delhi side finally managed to inflict an ALL OUT in the 34th minute and regained the lead at 23-22.

The Dabang Delhi K.C. defense unit carried out a couple of fantastic tackles to help their team extend their lead at 27-23 in the 37th minute. Chiyaneh and Gulia picked up raid points in the last few minutes of the match, but Delhi's raider Malik ensured that his team walks off the mat as winners of the match.