Hyderabad: The young duo of Ayan Lohchab (14) and Devank Dalal (11) scored 25 points between them as the Patna Pirates secured an impressive 43-41 victory over the Jaipur Pink Panthers in a Season 11 match of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the GMCB Indoor Stadium here on Friday.
Both raiders scored well-earned Super 10s, but it was a late surge from the Patna Pirates defenders that was enough to overturn Arjun Deshwal’s 20 points, taking them to third on the points table as they wrapped up their matches in the Hyderabad leg of the season.
Jaipur Pink Panthers were in the driving seat from the get-go, and it was their captain Arjun Deshwal who commanded the proceedings. Ably supported by Neeraj Narwal, as well as his defenders, the Jaipur Pink Panthers took the early lead, despite Devank Dalal and Ayan Lohchab scoring the occasional point for the Patna Pirates.
With not much support from their teammates, the Patna Pirates were All Out in the 10th minute itself, as the Jaipur Pink Panthers dominated the mat. Deshwal’s brilliant form was backed up with a Super Raid, with which the star raider completed his Super 10. As the first half neared its close, the Patna Pirates kept their cool and worked their way back by reducing their deficit.
Devank (8) and Ayan (10) scored 18 of the Patna Pirates’ points and with three minutes left in the first half, they inflicted an All Out on the Jaipur Pink Panthers to take the lead. Eventually, the scoreline read 25-21 at the end of the first half.
Deshwal continued his powerful performance in the second half, with a massive Super Raid ending in 5 points for the Jaipur Pink Panthers. It was enough to take his team ahead of their opponents, reducing the Patna Pirates to just one player on the mat. He was also sent off after another successful raid from Deshwal, which meant that the Patna Pirates were ALL OUT for a second time in the match.
It took the Patna Pirates seven minutes to score their first point in the second half, with Ayan completing his Super 10 in the same move. This also spurred his team to action, as the Patna Pirates once again worked to close the difference. While Deshwal reached the 20-point mark, a much-deserved milestone in the match for him, the Patna Pirates were behind by just 1 point with 10 minutes remaining in the game.
An exciting match to the very end, Devank Dalal completed his Super 10 with a bonus point but was successfully tackled by Ankush Rathee as well. Consecutive Super Tackles kept the Patna Pirates in the game and equalized the score with three minutes remaining.
In the end, Devank scored a bonus point in a Do-Or-Die raid while Patna Pirates’ Shubham Shinde completed a successful tackle to seal a hard-fought win for the three-time PKL champions.
(IANS)
