PKL 9: UP Yoddhas defeated Puneri, Jaipur settled for a tie with Gujarat

Sonu's Super 10 Helps Gujarat Giants Tie 51-51 With Jaipur Pink Panthers.

The Jaipur Pink Panthers held a healthy lead going into the last minute of the match, but Sonu and Dong Geon Lee put up an inspiring performance and helped the Gujarat Giants tie the game 51-51 in the vivo Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 9. Sonu scored 14 points, while Captain Lee contributed 10 points at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday.

Parteek Dahiya pulled off a SUPER RAID as the Gujarat Giants took the lead at 6-3 in the 4th minute. The all-rounder continued to effect raids and reduced the Panthers to just two members on the mat. Moments later, the Giants inflicted an ALL OUT and took a massive lead at 13-7 in the 7th minute. But the Jaipur side tackled Dong Geon Lee and stayed in the game at 11-13. Abhishek KS and Deepak Singh picked up tackle points, but the Giants still held the lead at 17-15.

Parteek Dahiya pulled off a magnificent multi-point raid catching out Deepak Singh and Abhishek KS and helped the Gujarat side extend its lead further. However, Rahul Chaudhari effected a couple of raids and helped the Panthers reach within touching distance of Giants' score at 20-21. Thereafter, the Jaipur side tackled Mahendra Rajput and levelled the scores at 21-21 at the stroke of half-time.

The Panthers pulled off an ALL OUT in the 24th minute and inched ahead at 29-26. Thereafter, Arjun Deshwal picked up a few raid points as the Jaipur side continued to keep their noses in front at 37-32. The Panthers pulled off another ALL OUT in the 32nd minute and took a stronghold of the match at 43-33. Deshwal effected a multi-point raid soon after as the Panthers continued to forge ahead. Sonu effected a few raids for the Giants, but the Jaipur side still held the lead at 49-44 in the 39th minute. However, Sonu continued to shine as the Gujarat side inflicted an ALL OUT soon after. Moments later, Lee effected a magnificent raid in the dying seconds of the match and helped his team tie the game in the end.

UP Yoddhas Beat Puneri Paltan 45-41 To Deny Them Top Spot On Points Table 

The UP Yoddhas beat Puneri Paltan 45-41 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on Friday to ensure that their opponents would not finish top of the table going into the playoffs of PKL 9. A complete team performance saw three UP Yoddhas players score five or more points and eight registering at least one point on the scorecard.  

The Puneri Paltan and the UP Yoddhas were eager to keep the momentum going before heading to Mumbai and put on a show for the crowd. The regular starters had been benched for this encounter but in their absence the substitutes grabbed their chance to shine. 

Aditya Shinde and Saurabh's raiding helped Puneri Paltan inflict the first ALL OUT of the game to streak into a 19-10 lead. Right before halftime though the UP Yoddhas swung it back in their favour, courtesy an Anil Kumar SUPER RAID which took out Shinde, D MahindraPrasad and Akash Chaudhary. The teams went into the break with Puneri Paltan leading 22-19.

The UP Yoddhas got their own back early in the second half, inflicting an ALL OUT to draw level and from there a war of attrition began. It was testament to the UP Yoddhas’ depth that despite Narwal's off day they inflicted another ALL OUT on Puneri Paltan to take the lead. Durgesh Kumar's SUPER RAID had turned the tables on the Puneri Paltan who were suddenly on the ropes. 

Puneri Paltan stepped on the gas in the final three minutes, hoping to catch up but a series of SUPER TACKLES keeping the UP Yoddhas' lead intact. Puneri Paltan drew close at the end but the UP Yoddhas had done enough to earn a win.  

Award Winners on 09/12/2022   

Match 1: Gujarat Giants vs Jaipur Pink Panthers   

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

Dream 11 Gamechanger of the Match – Rahul Chaudhari (Jaipur Pink Panthers)  

Moment of the Match – Parteek Dahiya (Gujarat Giants)   

Match 2: Puneri Paltan vs UP Yoddhas 

vivo Perfect Player of the Match – Aditya Shinde (Puneri Paltan)   

Dream 11 Gamechanger of the Match – Sandeep Narwal (UP Yoddhas)  

Moment of the Match – Anil Kumar (UP Yoddhas)