Pune, Dec 18 Raider Devank, Ankit, and Deepak excelled as they helped Patna Pirates seal their playoff spot with a thrilling 41-37 win against the Telugu Titans in a Season 11 clash of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) in the Badminton Hall of the Balewadi Sports Complex here on Wednesday.
Devank claimed 10 points while Ankit and Deepak continued five points each as they ensured that Patna Pirates overcame a tough contest against Telugu Titans, who will now need other results to go their way to have a shot at playoff qualification.
It was a thrill-a-minute start to the game as Devank got Patna Pirates off to a flyer, scoring their first four points of the game, including a two-point raid to get things underway. Pawan Sehrawat matched him stride for stride to keep Telugu Titans on level terms with the score at 6-6 in the opening exchanges.
Pawan Sehrawat breached another significant milestone in his illustrious career, amassing 1300 raid points in the PKL. A Super Tackle on him by Ankit, followed by a successful do-or-die Raid by Sudhakar M. gave Patna Pirates the lead, before Telugu Titans were back on level terms, courtesy of Vijay Malik’s two-point raid.
With the score tied at 10-10, Telugu Titans inflicted the first All Out of the game as Ajit Pawar tackled Deepak, giving his side their first lead of the night. The lead didn’t last too long though, as Devank and Ayan helped Patna Pirates get their noses out in front once more.
There was no separating the two teams as they traded blow for blow in the first 20 minutes. Pawan Sehrawat led the way for Telugu Titans, while Devank continued his excellent form for Patna Pirates as they edged out a nail-biting first half that ended with a scoreline of 19-18.
Vijay Malik opened the scoring for Telugu Titans in the second half to get them level. The deadly duo of Devank and Ayan helped Patna Pirates create some separation between the two sides before Gurdeep’s tackle on Praful Zaware enabled an All Out, increasing their lead to six points.
Patna Pirates started firing on all cylinders as Devank completed his Super 10, followed by the defensive efforts of Deepak, who completed 50 Tackle Points for the season, giving their team all the momentum. Telugu Titans crucially responded in a strong manner as the trio of Pawan Sehrawat, Vijay Malik and Ashish Narwal helped them close the gap to 32-29 with under 10 minutes to go in the game.
The Patna Pirates' defense flicked a switch to take control of the game in the dying embers. Ankit completed his High-5 and Gurdeep followed it up with a Super Tackle to make it a seven-point game to give themselves some breathing room. Their defense carried on their good work with Deepak also completing his High-5 in what turned out to be a dominant defensive display in the second half.
The complete team performance helped Patna Pirates emerge victorious with a scoreline of 41-37, confirming their playoff spot. With that result, the UP Yoddhas have also qualified for the playoffs, leaving only two playoff spots open in the tournament.
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