New Delhi [India], October 11 : The Bengaluru Bulls were in fine form as they thrashed the Jaipur Pink Panthers 47-26 at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium in the Delhi leg's first match.
It was an all-round performance led by Alireza Mirzaian's Super 10 once again, but Yogesh's joint-career best of eight points, alongside Deepak Sankar's High Five, played an equally important role in the win for the Bulls. Alireza also completed a personal milestone, reaching 100 PKL raid points on the night.
A positive start from both sides set a tone for the match, but it was the Bulls who took an early lead courtesy of the whole team's contributions. Their early prowess was rewarded as an early All Out was inflicted on the Jaipur Pink Panthers, despite Vinay trying his hardest among the Pink Panthers' raiders. This meant that the first 10 minutes saw the Bulls take a 12-8 lead, according to a press release from PKL.
The second 10 minutes started with a brilliant tackle by Ali Samadi on Aashish Malik, but the Bulls' defence was on the front foot from the get-go. Sanjay successfully tackled Nitin Kumar in a do-or-die raid before Akash Shinde won a bonus point. In between, Ali Samadi got Satyappa Matti in an athletic raid, keeping his side in the match.
Ali Mirzaian, who completed 100 Raid Points in the PKL, received support from Aashish Malik. His raid got Aryan Kumar out, while in defence, Deepak Sankar trapped Ali Samadi in a successful tackle. This all-round prowess from the Bulls ensured that the lead was with their side at 18-13 at the end of the first half.
The second All Out was inflicted just three minutes into the second half as Alireza caught Deepanshu Khatri and Nitin Rawal. It was the beginning of the end for the Pink Panthers, as the Bulls began to run away with the lead. Akash and Aashish were equally adept in the raiding department as the Bulls continued to dominate.
The defence of the Bulls, led by the young Deepak Sankar who completed his High Five with a tackle on Ali Samadi, complemented the raiders well in what was turning out to be a one-sided match in favour of the Bulls. For the Pink Panthers, Ali Samadi and Vinay Redhu did not get any support from their teammates.
The third All Out was inflicted on the Pink Panthers, taking the lead to 17 points with six minutes left to the end of the match. Yogesh also completed a well-earned High Five for the Bulls, the rout continued in favour of the Bulls. Meanwhile, Alireza got a two-point raid that gave him the Super 10 at the very end of the match, as the match ended with a 21-point win in favour of the side coached by BC Ramesh.
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