Defending champions Bengaluru Bulls produced a remarkable comeback to beat three-time Pro Kabaddi League champions Patna Pirates 40-39 in a nail-biting encounter at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday.
Pawan Sehrawat, with another Super 10 (17 raid points), was once again the star for the defending champions in a match that saw Patna lead for a long time. Pardeep Narwal’s Super 10 (14 raid points) for Patna went in vain as defensive blunders at crucial junctures of the match saw the win slip away from their clutches.
Narwal started off the proceedings on the front foot, picking valuable points for a struggling Patna side with clever raids. Sehrawat was equally good in his raids but Patna’s defence was better than Bengaluru’s in the first half. Narwal’s two-point raid in the 13th minute inflicted the first All-Out on the home side and stretch the lead to six points in favour of the three-time champions.
Patna began the second half strongly, thanks to their defence.
Amit Kumar, the last man on the mat for Patna, produced a Super Raid with under seven minutes remaining in the clock to revive two Patna players. The Bulls did eventually get their All-Out, despite all the efforts by Narwal (who secured his Super 10 in the process) with under four minutes remaining. Sehrawat produced a two-point raid in the dying minutes to complete the comeback, clinching a personal milestone of 500 Pro Kabaddi League points, to tie the match at 38-38 and Bengaluru’s defence held firm in the last minute to clinch an important victory.
Before the match at the same venue, Naveen Kumar, one of the best raiders of PKL, had helped Dabang Delhi edge past Jaipur Pink Panthers 46-44.
The raider picked up 16 points, including a record-setting 10th consecutive Super 10, as the Delhi side fought tooth and nail to overcome a stiff challenge from Jaipur.
The win helped Delhi cement their position on top of the points table with 54 points.
(With inputs from IANS)