Pune decimate Bengal, UP Yoddha defenders create history in PKL 8

The Lucknow based side scored a record 21 tackle points in their game against Bengaluru Bulls.

Raider Aslam Inamdar was the star for Puneri Paltan as they beat defending champions 39-27 in Match 43 of vivo Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 8 at The Sheraton Grand, Whitefield, Bengaluru. Aslam Inamdar scored a Super 10 (17 points) while Abinesh Nadarajan clinched a High 5 (5 tackle points) for Puneri Paltan who had a near-flawless performance on the mat. Captain Maninder Singh clinched a Super 10 for the Warriors, but he proved to be the sole performer for a team desperately short of confidence. 

PKL Season 7 winners Bengal started the match on the front-foot with Maninder Singh’s Super Raid (3 points) in the 4th minute putting Pune in a spot of bother. But substitute Sombir and Abinesh Nadarajan produced consecutive Super Tackles to turn the game around for Paltan. Aslam Inamdar and Nitin Tomar picked up crucial points for the team from Maharashtra who got their first ALL OUT with 5 minutes to the interval. That opened a 7-point lead and Pune used the momentum to continue their attack on a struggling Bengal side. Maninder Singh and Mohammad Nabibakhsh were immediately tackled as the half ended 20-11 with Pune in the ascendancy. Bengal, who went into the match with just 1 win in 5 matches, were staring at another big defeat in PKL Season 8.

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

Pune got their second ALL OUT in the third minute of the second half to open a 12-point lead. Their all-rounder Aslam Inamdar was having a great time on the mat, targeting Bengal cover Amit Nirwal on multiple occasions. He got his Super 10 while at the other end Maninder Singh tried his level best to keep the Warriors in the match. Bengal's over-dependence on their captain for raid points was beginning to hurt them as Mohammed Nabibakhsh struggled. 

Maninder’s Super 10 and Akash Pikalmunde’s crucial raids didn’t seem to matter as Pune held a 13-point lead with 5 minutes remaining in the PKL match. The energised Pune team made no mistakes in the final raids to win with a 12-point margin.

UP Yoddha create defensive record

U.P. Yoddha’s defence produced a night to remember as they pinned Bengaluru Bulls’ raiders and helped the team win 42-27 in Match 44 of vivo Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 at The Sheraton Grand, Whitefield, Bengaluru. Yoddha claimed six Super Tackles in the win that helped the team jump to 6th on the points table. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbmz0M0ghtg

Shrikant Jadhav scored a Super 10 (15 total points including 3 for tackles) while all the defenders chipped in with tackles. This was the best performance ever by a defence (22 tackle points) in vivo Pro Kabaddi League history and will certainly set the tone for the rest of the campaign.

The match had a poor start with both U.P. Yoddha and Bengaluru Bulls failing to impress. The star raiders Pawan Sehrawat and Pardeep Narwal spent most of their time on the sidelines as both players failed to make a difference. Even the usually reliable Surender Gill struggled to get the raid points for Yoddha who were staring at an ALL OUT near the 15th minute of the match. But they produced 3 Super Tackles, with substitute Gurdeep getting two of them, to completely change the balance of the match.

The much-famed Yoddha defence, who had tackled Dabang Delhi K.C.’s Naveen Kumar multiple times last night, was in their peak form once again. Substitute Mohammad Taghi added raid points for Yoddha in the last minute to mount the pressure on Bengaluru. The half ended 19-14 in favour of Yoddha with the Bulls having just one man on the mat.

Yoddha got their ALL OUT in the very first move of the second half. Shrikant Jadhav then got in on the act, his raid points cancelling out all the positive strides the Bulls were trying to make. Yoddha had an 9-point lead at the first Dhani Time Out with 10 minutes remaining in the match.

Bulls’ Bharat clinched an important Super Raid (3 points) after the restart as Bulls sensed a chance for an ALL OUT. But the mighty U.P. defence kept producing Super Tackles to stop the Bulls. Bharat and Shrikant Jadhav got their Super 10s in the final minutes, but it barely affected the match that belonged to the Yoddha defence. They secured the win and scripted history with the defensive masterclass.

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