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The Jaipur Pink Panther put on an effective all-round display as they eliminated the Tamil Thalaivas from the playoffs race after the match ended with a 34-27 score at the Badminton Hall in the Balewadi Sports Complex on December 15. In what was Match 113 of PKL 11, Arjun Deshwal found ample support from the likes of Neeraj Narwal and Abhijeet Malik, while Ankush Rathee led the defensive charge. For the Tamil Thalaivas, Nitesh Kumar’s High 5 went in vain.
Jaipur Pink Panthers earn comprehensive win over Tamil Thalaivas
The Jaipur Pink Panthers skipper and star raider Arjun Deshwal had good support from his supporting raiders Abhijeet Malik and Neeraj Narwal as the two-time PKL Champions began to take an early lead. Arjun started the point-scoring with a running hand touch on Amir Hossein Bastami, while Abhijeet Malik secured a Do-Or-Die raid against Aashish.
For the Tamil Thalaivas, a Super Tackle sent Arjun Deshwal to the bench but the impressive start by the Tamil Thalaivas defenders did not last for too long. Six consecutive points for the Jaipur Pink Panthers saw Sai Prasad caught by Surjeet Singh just after Abhishek Manokaran surrendered to Neeraj Narwal for an ALL OUT. This gave the team a good platform as the score read 20-13 at the end of the first half.
The script of the game was the same as the Jaipur Pink Panthers piled the pressure on the Tamil Thalaivas. For every point won by the Thalaivas, Arjun Deshwal’s side had a very strong response. Using their defensive prowess, the Jaipur Pink Panthers continued to dominate the second half of the match, consistently neutralizing the Tamil Thalaivas' offensive attempts.
In a commanding display of The Pink Panthers' defensive lineup, led by stellar performances from Ankush Rathee – who scored a High 5 – systematically dismantled the Thalaivas' raiders. He stepped up as Arjun Deshwal struggled to find his rhythm, repeatedly getting tackled by the Thalaivas' defenders.
The Tamil Thalaivas rode on the raiders of Abhishek and Chandran Ranjith, who stepped up to maintain the team's momentum. The Jaipur Pink Panthers effectively controlled the Do-Or-Die raids that helped expand their lead. As the match came to a close, the Jaipur Pink Panthers decisively outperformed the Tamil Thalaivas, ultimately securing a comprehensive seven-point victory.
UP Yoddhas edge U Mumba in closely-fought contest
Two teams still in the playoff race played out a very close clash but it was UP Yoddhas who prevailed 30-27 over U Mumba in Match 114 of PKL 11 at the Badminton Hall in the Balewadi Sports Complex on Sunday. The raiding duo of Gagan Gowda and Bhavani Rajput ensured a Sunday evening blockbuster as they led the charge in a win that took the UP Yoddhas to third on the points table.
The early stages of the game saw Manjeet making a strong start for U Mumba, successfully evading Ashu Singh and Mahender Singh and giving his team a 2-0 lead. The momentum continued to shift between U Mumba and UP Yoddhas, with Bhavani Rajput executing a Do-Or-Die raid that dragged Lokesh Ghosliya to the midline.
Manjeet further demonstrated his raiding prowess by ousting Ashu Singh with a running hand touch in another Do-Or-Die raid. As the match progressed, Ajit Chouhan showed why he is this season’s best NYP with multiple raid points.
For the UP Yoddhas, Gagan Gowda's raids were eventually thwarted by Rinku, while Hitesh and Bharat made crucial defensive plays. The game remained closely contested, with multiple point exchanges from both sides.
Moments of individual brilliance, such as Ajit Chouhan's escape from Sumit's block and his subsequent toe touch on Bharat, kept the match exciting as the score read 12-13 in favour of the UP Yoddhas at the break
The match was neck-to-neck to the very end. As the second half kicked off Ajit Chouhan capitalized on Mahender Singh's mistake to push through to the midline. For UP Yoddhas, Bhavani Rajput and Gagan Gowda kept the UP Yoddhas in the race and took the lead in the 10th minute after Amirmohammad Zafardanesh stepped into the lobby, and the ensuing confusion allowed Bhavani to touch Sunil Kumar as well, inflicting the first ALL OUT of the game on U Mumba.
Rohit Raghav emerged as a key player in the latter stages, executing a powerful two-point raid that sent Ashu Singh and Mahender Singh to the bench. Another important moment saw another ALL OUT caused by Keshav Kumar's bonus and Rinku's crucial tackle.
As the match came to a close, substitute Sahul Kumar’s crucial tackle on Rohit Raghav ensured that the UP Yoddhas took the all-important lead to secure a narrow two-point win over the U Mumba.
