PKL 9: Gujarat Giants handed over defeat to Haryana Steelers

PKL 9 Match 33: U Mumba vs Bengaluru Bulls

U Mumba were in a fantastic position at 24-11 at the end of the first half, but Bengaluru Bulls' raider Bharat put up a stupendous performance and helped his team register a thrilling 42-32 victory over the Mumbai side in the vivo Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 9 at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. Bharat scored a whopping 16 points in the match, while Vikash Kandola contributed with 8 points.

Match Report

Guman Singh picked up a few raid points and helped his side take a massive lead at 6-1 in the 5th minute. Soon after, the Mumbai side inflicted an ALL OUT and attained a stronghold of the match at 10-3. U Mumba defenders Rahul Sethpal and Mohit also stepped up their game as their team continued to widen its lead. Guman Singh reduced the Bulls to just one player on the mat in the 13th minute and soon after, Captain Surinder Singh tackled Sachin Narwal to help U Mumba inflict another ALL OUT. Bengaluru's Bharat pulled off a few raids, but the team from Mumbai stayed in the lead at 24-11 in the end of the first half.

Bharat effected a SUPER RAID and inflicted an ALL OUT in the opening minutes of the second half to help the Bulls stay in the game. Bharat continued to effect raids as the Bulls reduced the gap with the two sides at 22-25. The tables turned completely after Bengaluru inflicted an ALL OUT in the 31st minute and took the lead at 28-27. Vikash Kandola also joined the party as the Bulls extended their lead further. The Bengaluru defenders Saurabh Nandal and Aman backed up their raiders and helped their team attain a comfortable lead at 34-30 in the 36th minute. Moments later, Bharat reduced the U Mumba side to two players before the Bulls inflicted another ALL OUT to seal a comprehensive victory.

PKL 9 Match 34: Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Telugu Titans

A clinical performance by the Jaipur Pink Panthers earned them a massive 51-27 victory over Telugu Titans in the second game of 14th day of PKL 9 at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. Raiders Arjun Deshwal, Rahul Chaudhari and defender Sahul Kumar were the stars for the Pink Panthers in the evening.

Match Report

If the Titans hoped to end their miserable run with an inspiring performance, then this may well have been the time to turn up. Except, almost right from the onset, it was the Pink Panthers who were on top. They rushed into a lead, and it took the Titans till they were down by six points to score their first point of the game. However, Rahul Chaudhari's SUPER RAID took out Mohit Pahal and Ravinder Pahal and helped Jaipur initiate the first ALL OUT of the game.

The Panthers went further, with a second ALL OUT to extend their lead at 23-7, with five minutes of the first half left to play. The Titans' porous defence had been their failing all season and so it proved again, a mere 2 of 21 tackles successful in the first half. The Panthers went into the break leading 29-10.

Any hopes of a resurgence were extinguished fairly quickly as the Panthers got a third ALL OUT to extend their lead. Jaipur's clinical nature was in sharp contrast to the Titans' lack of coherence and the points were quickly adding up. Arjun Deshwal completed his 10 points with 10 minutes to play and while there was no doubt about his brilliance, the real eye catcher was Sahul Kumar whose 7 tackle points — four of which caught the Titans' lead raider Siddharth Desai — were an example of the Panthers' dominance and the Titans' failings. 

The Titans earned an ALL OUT with seconds of the match remaining to reduce the deficit. But by then it was not a matter of if or when, but how much the Panthers would win by. Another double-digit demolition aided the Panthers to cement their position at the second spot on the points table.

PKL 9 Match 35: Gujarat Giants vs Haryana Steelers

Rakesh and Sourav Gulia were on fire for the Gujarat Giants as they handed the Haryana Steelers yet another defeat in the vivo Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 9 at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. The Giants, who have now won two matches in a row, triumphed with the score reading 42-38.

The Steelers had the better start on the night, with the raiders and the defensive unit working in tandem, especially with Amirhossein Bastami causing some serious problems early on. However, the Giants edged ahead through Rakesh's raids before Jaideep and Mohit brought the Steelers back in the match, in what was turning out to be a close game. However, Rakesh inflicted an ALL OUT on the Steelers to help the Giants surge ahead.  

Meetu, Jaideep and Manjeet pulled up their socks in the final minutes of the first half, as the Steelers roared back and ended the half with a 6-point lead at 22-16.

The Giants started off the second half quite strongly and had the momentum going their way. The Steelers found it a tad bit tougher to stop their opponents as Sourav Gulia and Rakesh were on song for Gujarat. 

The Giants continued to score points as Rakesh went on to pick up another 15-point haul to help the Giants lead the Steelers by 4 points in the 35th minute.  

The Giants continued to build on their lead and even as the Steelers gave it their all, Gujarat held on and picked up an important win.

Award Winners of the Night:

Match 1: U Mumba vs Bengaluru Bulls

vivo Perfect Player of the Match - Bharat (Bengaluru Bulls)

Dream 11 Gamechanger of the Match - Saurabh Nandal (Bengaluru Bulls)

Moment of the Match - Bharat (Bengaluru Bulls)

Match 2: Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Telugu Titans

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

Dream 11 Gamechanger of the Match - Sahul Kumar (Jaipur Pink Panthers)

Moment of the Match - Ankush (Jaipur Pink Panthers)

Match 3: Haryana Steelers vs Gujarat Giants

vivo Perfect Player of the Match - Rakesh (Gujarat Giants)

Dream 11 Gamechanger of the Match - Rakesh (Gujarat Giants)

Moment of the Match - Rakesh (Gujarat Giants)