Bengaluru, Jan 22 Mohit Goyat was the star for Puneri Paltan as they beat Bengaluru Bulls 37-35 in Match 70 of Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 at The Sheraton Grand, Whitefield, here on Saturday.
The raider scored 13 points (including three tackle points) as Pune stopped Pawan Sehrawat and the Bulls from jumping to the top of the points table. Bengaluru never really controlled the match and their lack of all-outs proved costly in the end.
Coach Anup Kumar's team had three successful reviews which played a crucial role in ensuring the two-point victory.
Pune started the match on the front foot with their raider Mohit Goyat picking up crucial raid points. He was ably backed by his defence marshalled by Sanket Sawant in the cover position. Coach Anup Kumar also changed his proven corner combination of Baldev Singh and Vishal Bhardwaj for Sombir and Karamvir for the match.
Mohit's two-point raid in the 10th minute reduced the Bulls to just two men on the mat. That shifted the balance in their favour and the Pune team eventually got their all-out in the 13th minute to open a three-point lead.
But Pawan Sehrawat quickly found errors in the Pune defence to reduce the margin. The first half ended 16-15 with the Bulls trailing by one point.
Mohit Goyat's two-point raid early in the second half paved way for another all-out. Pune opened a five-point lead and sustained the pressure on the Bulls who looked disorganised in defence.
Pawan Sehrawat, their lead raider, was seen playing right corner and the confusion allowed Paltan to make it a six-point gap with 10 minutes remaining.
Right corner Sombir picked up a High 5 for Paltan but their raiders made silly errors in the closing stages to allow the Bulls back into the match. With under a minute remaining, Pune had a two-point lead and substitute Shubham Shelke produced an important touch point to help them win.
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