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It was a frantic end to match 31 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season 8 as three-time champions Patna Pirates won in the last second against Telugu Titans with a scoreline of 31-30. Going into the last raid the score was 30-30, but a lack of judgment from the Titans saw them hand a point and eventually the match to Sachin and Patna in the dying moments of the contest. The loss means the Titans are yet to win in this season of the PKL.
It was Prashanth Kumar’s Patna who started with a bang, establishing an early lead in the contest thanks to Neeraj Kumar and Monu Goyat. Neeraj came up with four defensive points in the match as he was rock solid for the Pirates. Raider Sachin was the pick of the bunch for the three-time champions as he would pick odd points to establish a slender five-point lead at the end of the first half. The Titans did show their resilience but couldn’t match the intensity of their opposition as the scores read 18-13 in favour of Pirates at the break.
Storming comeback in the second half
With no wins in this season, the Titans had nothing to lose as they came all guns blazing in the second half. Raider Ankit Beniwal was the man to watch for as he came up with 10 points with eight successful raids in the contest. Telugu managed an early all-out in the second half as they came from 20-16 down to 20-20 within no time.
Pirates didn’t sit back
Despite the setback, the Pirates didn’t give an inch to their opposition and kept it tight for the majority of the final quarter. Defenders Neeraj, Sajin C and Sunil were the difference makers even when Titans pulled the scores to 24-24. Mohammadreza Chiyaneh’s experience and defensive abilities gave the Pirates an extra dimension to their game as they relied on their defense rather than attack.
The final two raids prove costly for Titans
With Titans trailing 29-30, Beniwal who had picked up 10 points in the match, showed poor judgment as he went for two points instead of one and failed to run down the clock. This lack of judgment meant that Pirates had an extra raid with seconds remaining in the match. Raider Sachin raised the roof as his attacking instincts were coupled with poor judgment from the Titans' defense. The successful raid saw Pirates ran out winners in the final second by 31-30.
Patna will now look to consolidate on their latest win as they will now attempt to win four in a row. The win sees them go third in the standings, only separated by score difference with second-placed Dabang Delhi, with both teams on 21 points each. They next face Tamil Thalaivas on Thursday (January 6), while opponents Telugu Titans take on undefeated Dabang Delhi on Wednesday (January 5). The Titans lie second from bottom, with only Puneri Paltan’s picking fewer points than the Titans.
