Visakhapatnam, Sep 2 In a hard-fought encounter at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag, Jaipur Pink Panthers secured a narrow 39-36 win against the three-time champions Patna Pirates on Tuesday.
Nitin Kumar Dhankar was the star of the show with 13 raid points to his name, while Ali Samadi Choubtarash also scored 8 points for Jaipur Pink Panthers on his PKL debut. Maninder Singh and Sudharkar Maruthamuthu registered 15 and 9 raid points, respectively for Patna Pirates.
Maninder Singh opened the scoring before Ronak Singh responded with a tackle. It was Jaipur Pink Panthers who dictated terms in the opening exchanges, but a two-point raid from Sudhakar M kept Patna Pirates on level terms.
Jaipur Pink Panthers started building on their momentum with Nitin Kumar Dhankar making his presence felt on the attacking end. The likes of Nitin Rawal, Ronak Singh, and Reza Mirbagheri also contributed on defence, opening up a two-point lead with the score at 10-8 after the first ten minutes.
The two-time champions soon extended their lead to five points after a tackle from Reza Mirbagheri helped them inflict an ALL OUT on Patna Pirates.
Registering his first point after 14 minutes, Ayan Lohchab, along with support from Maninder Singh, ensured that Patna Pirates showed resilience at the end of the first half. For all their hard work, Jaipur Pink Panthers held a deserved 21-16 lead at halftime.
Jaipur Pink Panthers picked up from where they left off in the second half, courtesy of Nitin Kumar completing his Super 10. He was unstoppable on the offensive end and was only dismissed on his 17th raid attempt. However, Patna Pirates remained within striking distance as Maninder Singh registered his Super 10, supported by Ayan Lohchab and Sudhakar.
Ali Samadi showed his lightning pace and skill on the offensive end for the two-time champions as they maintained a six-point lead with under ten minutes remaining in the match. Maninder Singh cut the lead to four points with a two-point raid, keeping the contest on a knife-edge.
Patna Pirates fought till the end with the troika of Maninder Singh, Ayan Lohchab, and Sudhakar. However, Nitin Kumar and Ali Samadi ensured that Jaipur Pink Panthers eventually secured a hard-fought 39-36 victory.
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