Pawan Sehrawat was once again the star as Bengaluru Bulls decimated Puneri Paltan 40-29 in Match 29 of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 in Bengaluru on Sunday.
The star raider scored 11 points, 10 of which came in a second half that helped the Bulls overcome a 6-point lead Pune had at the break. Paltan had a great start to the match but lost their composure against an experienced Bulls attack.
Pune went into the match as underdogs, especially with Rahul Chaudhari missing from the squad, but it was their raiders who started brightly. The young raiding duo of Mohit Goyat and Aslam Inamdar regularly found chinks in the Bengaluru armour. At the other end, Bengaluru struggled for points with both their top raiders Pawan Sehrawat and Chandran Ranjit looking tired.
Pune defence, marshalled by the experienced corners Baldev and Vishal Bharadwaj, ensured the Bulls got no easy points. Pune clinched their first all-out in the 15th minute to open a five-point gap. The bulls tried to fight back with their young raider Bharat but the half ended 18-13 with Pune in the lead.
Champion teams have an ability to dig deep into their reserves for inspiration and that is exactly what Bengaluru Bulls did post the break. Pawan Sehrawat said enough was enough as he led the Bulls' charge with multiple raid points that eventually gave them an all-out in the 9th minute. There was a definite shift in momentum as Pune's next-generation stars looked leaderless on the mat.
Bulls clinched another all-out with 6 minutes remaining and opened a 12-point lead. Pawan Sehrawat raced to yet another Super 10 as coach Anup Kumar's Pune team struggled to cope with the intensity.
The experienced heads of Bulls ensured there were no slip-ups in the final minutes to ensure they get all 5 points. Pune could only muster 11 points in the second half which will have coach Anup Kumar worried.
( With inputs from ANI )
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