Jaipur Pink Panthers clinched a nail-biting contest against U Mumba, registering a 6-4 win in the tie-break after the two sides were tied at 38-38 at the end of regulation time at the SMS Indoor Stadium in Jaipur. Nitin Kumar registered a Super 10, while Reza Mirbagheri and Vinay contributed with four tackles and six raids, respectively. For U Mumba, Sandeep’s Super 10 went in vain.
Jaipur Pink Panthers hit the ground running, racing away to a 6-0 lead in the opening five minutes of the game. Nitin Kumar was wreaking havoc with four of those points, while Aryan Kumar and Reza Mirbagheri bagged a couple of tackle points to allow the hosts to take control of the game. Sathish Kannan opened U Mumba’s account with a bonus point, but his team had plenty of catching up to do.
Jaipur Pink Panthers made that early momentum count, inflicting an ALL OUT to take a commanding lead with the score at 9-1. Ali Samadi then made his presence felt on both ends of the mat, further extending the lead to double digits for the home side. Tackles from Lokesh Ghosliya and Parvesh Bhainswal ignited some spark for U Mumba as they cut the deficit to 12-5 at the end of the first quarter.
Sandeep Kumar kept the scoreboard ticking as the raider, while U Mumba’s defence eventually found their groove to storm back into the contest. A tackle from Lokesh Ghosliya helped them inflict an ALL OUT on the hosts, making it a two-point game. That was followed up by a Super Raid from Sandeep Kumar, giving U Mumba a one-point lead.
In this edge-of-the-seat thriller, both teams traded blows in the first half. While the first ten minutes belonged to Jaipur Pink Panthers, U Mumba thoroughly dominated the second quarter, outscoring their opponents by eight points. As a result, the Season two champions held the lead at 17-16 after an enthralling first half.
The two teams continued to go toe-to-toe before U Mumba raised the level once again. They inflicted a second ALL OUT on the Pink Panthers, courtesy their defensive prowess. Meanwhile, Sandeep Kumar was stellar on the offensive end, completing his Super 10 with a Super Raid and helping his side execute another ALL OUT, extending their lead to nine points with the score at 33-24.
Sunil Kumar bagged his first points of the game with a tackle on Ali Samadi, as U Mumba slowed down the tempo of the game to keep their lead intact. Reza Mirbagheri and Nitin Kumar did their bit to try and keep the Pink Panthers in the game as eight points separated the two sides with under five minutes to play.
This humdinger of a game continued to deliver twists and turns till the very end. Jaipur Pink Panthers roared back in the contest in the dying embers, courtesy Nitin Kumar completing his Super 10. The raider closed the gap to one point with under a minute to play, before a tackle from Deepanshu Khatri levelled the scores at 38-38, forcing the first tie-breaker of the Jaipur leg.
After scripting a memorable comeback in regulation time, Jaipur Pink Panthers held their nerve in the tie-breaker. Their raiders saved their best for last, delivering when it mattered the most, to secure a 6-4 win in the tie-breaker.
Telugu Titans win
Telugu Titans defeated Gujarat Giants 30-29 in a close encounter to take crucial points in the PKL Season 12 at the SMS Indoor Stadium, Jaipur on Tuesday. Bharat Hooda’s nine points, coupled with Vijay Malik’s seven points, negated Mohammadreza Shadloui’s super-sub performance to win by the closest of margins
The Telugu Titans opened the scoring in the very first raid through Vijay Malik. They quickly built on the momentum, adding two more points in the next couple of minutes to take a 3-0 lead. The Gujarat Giants finally found themselves on the scoresheet when Visvanth V produced a successful raid.
The Giants still found themselves trailing 2-6, but a strong tackle from Aryavardhan Navale gave them a crucial point and reduced the gap to 3-6. However, the Titans responded immediately, stretching their lead to 7-3 before the first-half Time Out was called.
The Giants began the second phase positively, earning a point right after the break through a solid tackle from Sumit. This was quickly followed by a successful raid from Aryavardhan Navale, narrowing the gap to 5-7.
The Titans, however, struck back immediately with a successful raid of their own to maintain their lead. While the Titans held the advantage, the Giants showed resilience and refused to let the margin grow.
Aryavardhan Navale once again came through with a smart raid to make it 9-10, before a strong tackle from Lucky Sharma brought the scores level at 10-10. The Titans responded well in the final minutes of the half, regaining control to go into the break with a 12-10 lead.
The Giants made a flying start to the second half, scoring back-to-back points to level the score at 12-12. Mohammadreza Shadloui played a key role after coming on as a substitute, while a brilliant tackle from Rohit Nandal gave the Giants a slender lead. Shadloui continued to dominate, picking up three points within the first three minutes of the half.
The Giants’ defence also stepped up in style, pulling off a stunning effort to inflict an All Out on the Titans and surge ahead 18-14. The Titans tried to fight back and reduce the deficit, but the Giants held their ground, keeping a two-point cushion as the second-half Time Out was called.
The Telugu Titans made a strong start after the restart, reducing the gap to 20-21 through a successful raid from Bharat. They soon turned the game around by inflicting an ALL OUT, moving ahead 24-23 with just over six minutes left on the clock.
Vijay Malik then added to their momentum with a successful raid that gave the Titans two more points and stretched their lead to three. However, Shadloui struck back for the Giants with a crucial raid, cutting the deficit to 24-26. The Titans, though, were in full flow in the closing stages. They opened up a 5-point lead with just three minutes remaining and held their nerves to seal a hard-fought 30-29 victory
