Hyderabad: Nitin Kumar and Maninder Singh scored 14 and 10 points respectively as the Bengal Warriorz put on a clinical display to defeat the Bengaluru Bulls 40-29 in a Season 11 match of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the GMCB Indoor Stadium at Gachibowli here on Saturday. The final match of the Hyderabad leg was dominated by an exceptional raiding performance from Nitin Kumar and Maninder Singh and the duo led the Warriorz to a comprehensive win.
The Bengal Warriorz took a three-point lead heading into the halftime break, largely thanks to the outstanding raiding performance of Maninder Singh, who accumulated 8 points. The mighty raider was particularly effective for the Bengal Warriorz in the latter stages of the half, securing multiple successful raids, including a crucial two-point raid that sent both Nitin Rawal and Pardeep Narwal to the bench.
For the Bengaluru Bulls, their points were fairly well distributed across their raiders, with Akshit leading their scoring with four points, followed by Ajinkya Pawar with three points. Pardeep Narwal had a quiet half with just two points before being substituted for Lucky Kumar. The score eventually read 15-12 in favour of the Bengal Warriorz.
At the start of the second half, Maninder completed his Super 10 with a two-point raid to get Nitin Rawal and Ajinkya Pawar, also inflicting the first All Out on the Bengaluru Bulls. For the Bengaluru Bulls, Akshit scored three quick successful raids to put pressure on the Bengal Warriorz’s defence.
Nitin Kumar was particularly devastating, executing a crucial Super Raid that turned the momentum firmly in the Bengal Warriorz’s favour. This proved to be a pivotal moment as the Bengal Warriorz took control of the match.
The Bengaluru Bulls tried to respond through Akshit, but their efforts were thwarted when he was tackled by Fazel Atrachali, resulting in another All Out. The Bengaluru Bulls attempted to stay in the contest through Ajinkya Pawar, who managed some successful raids in the middle phase. Despite late efforts from the Bengaluru Bulls, they couldn’t bridge the gap as the Bengal Warriorz closed out an impressive victory.
The Pro Kabaddi League now moves to Noida for the second leg with two matches on Sunday. Hosts UP Yoddhas face former champion U Mumba in the first match of the day while Gujarat Giants meet Haryana Steelers in the second.
(IANS)
