Pro Kabaddi: Patna Pirates down Tamil Thalaivas, Puneri Paltan stun U Mumba

Mumbai: Defending Vivo Pro Kabaddi champions Patna Pirates capped off an thumping victory against Tamil Thalaivas 35-24 at the NSCI Dome in Worli on Saturday. The Pirates who were robbed of a victory by drawing to Bengal Warriors 36-36, made sure they did not do any mistakes on the night. 

An unsuccessful raid by Patna Pirates captain Pardeep Narwal put their opponents off to the mark. In four minutes, Tamil Thalaiva turned the game on its head by making it 1-4. Led by skipper Ajay Kumar who scored 10 raid points for the night, the southern side kept opposition raiders Monu Goyat and Pardeep Narwal quiet. But Patna soon managed to get back into the groove during the latter stages of the first half. 

While all the limelight was on Patna Pirates skipper Narwal, raider-in-crime Monu Goyat came to the party with a super ten along Jaideep and Vishal Mane who starred in defence. Pardeep Narwal sprung back into life with a dazzling dubki that sealed two crucial points for his side, making it 16-9 during the half time break. 

The Pirates never looked back from there on and strengthened their lead by 23-16, 10 minutes before the final whistle. Tamil Thalaiva captain Ajay Kumar kept the scoreboard ticking for his team, but they were no match for Patna Pirates’ aggressiveness and intensity. 

What snatched the game from Tamil Thalaivas hands was when Monu Goyat inflicted their second all out raid to make it 28-16. The Patna defence also looked sharp and did not give the opposition raiders too many points as they sealed a comfortable win. 

Patna Pirates’ fourth victory of the tournament moved them up a spot higher in the Zone B table with 27 points. A loss for the Tamilians meant that they stayed at the bottom of the pile. 

The second game of the match was a peach of a contest as U Mumba locked horns with the Puneri Paltans in the Maharashtra Derby. The Paltans scripted an incredible comeback to walk away with a victory by 26-24 despite the home team leading at half time by 9-15. 

Anup Kumar-led U Mumba adopted a more defensive strategy going for the kill only during do-or-die raids. Lead by skipper Sandeep Narwal, the Paltans caught neck-to-neck with their Maharashtrain counterparts, with a thrilling display of Kabaddi defending by both sides. Kashling Adake’s lone raiding efforts were not enough to save U Mumba as skipper Anup Kumar produced a dismal performance, once again. 

In the end, Puneri Paltan held their nerve to claim a second consecutive win over U Mumba in the Maharashtra Derby. Pune’s hard-fought win pushed them up to second place on the Zone B table as Anup Kumar’s men continued to languish at the 5th place.