Pro Kabaddi League: Jaipur Pink Panthers beat Puneri Paltan, stay in hunt

Players from Jaipur Pink Panthers and Puneri Paltan in action in Patna on Monday. (Source: PTI)

MATCH SUMMARY

Jaipur Pink Panthers maintained their winning run over the Puneri Paltan by winning 35-29 when the two sides met at the Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna. The win gives the defending champions their second win of the season, putting them in sixth position with 13 points while the Pune team is last with 10 points.

Face off

Pravin Niwale vs Kuldeep Singh – When Puneri Paltan skipper Pravin Niwale found himself in an unfavourable position and surrounded by the Jaipur Pink Panthers defenders during a raid, the attacker prepared himself for a flurry of tackles. Pink Panthers defender Kuldeep Singh fumbled his tackle and instead harshly slapped Niwale on the back, causing an immediate outburst by the raider. Kuldeep immediately offered an apology but needed Jaipur vice-captain Jasvir Singh to intervene and further apologise on behalf of the defender. In the Pune captain’s very next raid, Niwale aimed a swift scorpion back kick on Kuldeep, getting a touch to eliminate the defender. Later in the game too Niwale got a hand touch on the 23-year-old. In turn, Kuldeep, since the opening incident, conspicuously stayed away from Niwale.

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Play of the Day

With two defenders left on court to support him, Puneri Paltan’s Vijendra Singh initiated a sharp and powerful tackle on Jaipur Pink Panthers raider Rajesh Narwal. The defender’s spear tackle caught the attacker in the midriff region, pushing him deeper into the Pune half for his teammates to tackle the helpless raider. The move earned Vijendra the first ‘super tackle’ of the match.

Flop show

Puneri Paltan raider Amit Rathi tried a scorpion back kick toward Pink Panthers skipper Navneet Gautam. There was no touch, but Gautam remained frozen to the spot, allowing Rathi to turn, aim and execute a hand touch on the Jaipur defender before heading head back into his own half.

3 straight all out saves

Pune skipper Pravin Niwale found himself as the only active player left on the mat three times in a row. And on each occasion Niwale went in for a raid and prevented his team from suffering their first all-out of the match. On the fourth occasion nonetheless, Niwale was captured by the seven Jaipur defenders.

Patna Pirates vs Bengal warriors

MATCH SUMMARY

In the last Patna-leg match of the PKL season, hosts Pirates had to share points with Warriors after the two teams finished with a 20-20 scoreline – the first draw of the current season. Each franchise took three points, keeping the Pirates in fourth position with 20 points from their seven games. The Warriors stay seventh on 11 points.

Face off

Sunil Kumar vs Vineet Sharma – Both players are most recognisible as their respective foreheads required stitches and bandages recently. And on the night, their rivalry was the most prominent. Bengal Warriors’ Vineet Sharma was sharply tackled by Pirates’ Sunil Kumar, but the raider managed to swivel and get a leg across the midline. Confident from the earlier move, the raider often aimed hand touches and even sharp back kicks on the defender. The constant touch attempts, though often unsuccessful, unsettled the defender, who didn’t initiate a tackle on Sharma subsequently.

Play of the Day

Patna Pirates’ captain Sandeep Narwal entered the Warriors half brimming with enthusiasm, shuffling from side to side. The constant movement made it hard for any Warriors defender to get in a tackle, yet still left-corner defender Sachin Khambe dove full-length to apply a strong ankle hold on Narwal. The tackle brought an abrupt end to the high-energy display the raider was exhibiting just a moment earlier.

Flop show

Balance and awareness wasn’t kind to Sunil Kumar on the night. In his attempt to avoid a running hand touch by a Bengal Warriors raider, the Patna Pirates’ left-corner defender stumbled over the court boundary – twice.

low scorer

The total 40 points between the two teams was the lowest scoring match in PKL history. —Shahid Judge