PKL 8: Pune register big win against Bengaluru, Mumbai defeat Telugu

Mohit Goyat  was the star for Puneri Paltan.

Mohit Goyat  proved to be the star for Puneri Paltan as they beat Bengaluru Bulls 37-35 in Match 70 of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 8. The raider scored 13 points (including 3 tackle points) as Pune stopped Pawan Sehrawat and the Bulls from jumping to the top of the points table.

Bengaluru never really controlled the match and their lack of ALL OUTs proved costly at the end. Coach Anup Kumar’s team had 3 successful reviews which played a crucial role in ensuring the 2-point victory. 

Pune started the match on the front foot with their raider Mohit Goyat picking up crucial raid points. He was ably backed by his defence. Coach Anup Kumar also changed his proven corner combination of Baldev Singh and Vishal Bhardwaj for Sombir and Karamvir for the PKL match. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha6bYkuz-3c

Mohit’s 2-point raid in the 10th minute reduced the Bulls to just two men on the mat. That shifted the balance in their favour. The Pune team eventually got their ALL OUT in the 13th minute to open a 3-point lead. But Pawan Sehrawat quickly found errors in the Pune defence to reduce the margin. The first half ended 16-15 with the Bulls trailing by 1 point.  

Mohit Goyat’s 2-point raid early in the second half paved way for another ALL OUT. Pune opened a 5-point lead and sustained the pressure on the Bulls who looked disorganised in defence. Pawan Sehrawat was seen playing right corner. The confusion allowed Paltan to make it a 6-point gap with 10 minutes remaining.  

Right corner Sombir picked up a High 5 for Paltan but their raiders made silly errors in the closing stages to allow Bulls back into the match. With under a minute remaining, Pune had a 2-point lead and substitute Shubham Shelke produced an important touch point to help them win. 

Abhishek Singh was the star for U Mumba

Abhishek Singh was the star for U Mumba as they beat Telugu Titans 42-35 in Match 71 of PKL Season 8. The Mumbai team dominated most parts of the match with Abhishek scoring 15 raid points and Fazel Atrachali picking 6 tackle points. Adarsh clinched a Super 10 for the Titans but did not get the required backup to challenge Mumbai in the second match of Triple Panga night. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PsLVSu-zm0

U Mumba started the match aggressively with Abhishek Singh’s speedy hand touches giving them points. Rahul Sethpal and Fazel Atrachali ensured their defence was compact too as Mumbai raced into an early lead. They got their first ALL OUT in the 7th minute to open a healthy lead. But Titans, fresh from their victory against Jaipur Pink Panthers, staged a comeback.

Adarsh was the hero for the Titans. His multiple raids allowed them to reduce the Mumbai men on the mat. Two Super Tackles by U Mumba gave them valuable points, but Titans got their ALL OUT with 2 minutes remaining. At half time, Mumbai had a 5-point lead with scores 22-17 but the momentum was with the Telugu team. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va_PsuKpxcw

Mumbai ensured there were no immediate slip-ups in the second half of the PKL match as captain Fazel Atrachali raced to a High 5. Ajith Kumar also got into the act. He got important raid points to ensure his in-form teammate Abhishek Singh doesn’t spend too much time on the dugout. Surinder Singh and Adarsh T continued to try their level best to bring Titans back in the game. Even then they trailed by 8 points with 10 minutes on the clock. 

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Adarsh’s raiding helped Titans reduce the gap in the closing minutes as Mumbai’s defence started leaking point. But a 2-point raid by Ajinkya Pawar ensured U Mumba retained a 7-point gap in the final minute. Adarsh picked a Super 10 for his efforts but Mumbai had too a big lead for him to wipe out single-handedly.