PKL 11: Puneri Paltan beat Patna Pirates. (x)
Defending champions Puneri Paltan beat Patna Pirates 40-25 to register their second straight win, while UP Yoddhas put up a solid show to edge former winners Dabang Delhi KC 28-23.
The Puneri Paltan side were on fire and put up an outstanding performance, shrugging off the challenge from Patna Pirates in style in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 11 at the GMCB Indoor Stadium, Gachibowli on Monday.
Led by Aslam Inamdar, defending champions Puneri Paltan defeated Patna Pirates 40-25 to register their second straight win to start their campaign.
Puneri Paltan got off to a strong start in their second match as Aslam Inamdar and co raced to a 4-0 lead in the first few minutes of the match. However, Patna Pirates started to hit back soon after with Ankit’s Super Tackle on Inamdar reducing the deficit to one point in the early exchanges.
With just under 10 minutes left in the first half, the Puneri Paltan side surged forward and were looking to consolidate a three-point lead. A string of solid defensive tackles then further increased the lead for Puneri Paltan who were dominating at this point.
For Puneri Paltan, captain Aslam Inamdar led by example with seven points and had fantastic support from Aman with five points and Mohit Goyat who bagged three points. Puneri Paltan led 20-10 at the break.
After the break, Puneri Paltan continued to dominate the contest, keeping Patna Pirates at arm’s length. The Season 10 champions looked comfortable and building on their lead as the second half moved into the interim stage. Puneri Paltan had a 13 point lead at that point. Patna Pirates were trying their best to make a comeback but the likes of Mohit Goyat, Aslam Inamdar and Aman were having none of it. As the second half progressed, the Puneri Paltan team kept a firm grip on the contest and looked good for a big win.
In the final minutes, Jang Kun Lee of Patna Pirates was introduced and his arrival drew thunderous cheers from the crowd. However, there was not enough time to turn the tide as the Puneri Paltan side cruised to a comfortable win to end an entertaining Monday night.
UP Yoddhas beat Dabang Delhi
UP Yoddhas put in a solid performance on Monday and defeated former winners Dabang Delhi KC 28-23 in their opening match.
The UP Yoddhas started the proceedings when they took the first points of the game through a Surender Gill raid. What followed was a tense battle with the two contestants trading raids and points without giving each other an inch. Neither side could take a clear lead in the early exchanges in what turned out to be a close battle.
However, as the first half reached the midway point, Bhavani Rajput took control as the UP Yoddhas began to settle and outscored their opponents.
As the half wore on, Ashu Malik and Nitin Panwar helped Dabang Delhi KC hit back and bring the contest back level. The first half ended with the score 12-11 in their favor.
The second half was also a cautious start with both sides taking time to strike. Both sides found it difficult to break each other down despite plenty of well thought out moves in the early exchanges. At the end of the first phase of the second half, there was hardly any difference between the two sides. UP Yoddhas were leading 18-16 with the game very much on a knife edge.
By now, Naveen Kumar had taken over from Ashu Malik and led the charge for Dabang Delhi KC as they looked to struggle. However, in the final phase of the game, UP Yoddhas turned up the intensity as Sahul Kumar went All Out on Dabang Delhi KC and the raiders also took crucial points.
This helped the UP Yoddhas take a five-point lead with less than five minutes to go. In the end, UP Yoddhas cruised to victory in a hard-fought game. Bhavani Rajput top scored for UP Yoddhas with seven points.
In the two matches on Tuesday, Telugu Titans will face former winners Jaipur Pink Panthers in the first match while UP Yoddhas will face Bengaluru Bulls later.
(This story was not edited by News18 staff and was published by a syndicated news agency feed – IANS)
