Defending champion Bengal Warriors beat Jaipur Pink Panthers 41-22 at the Sheraton Grand ,Whitefield, Bengaluru. Captain Maninder Singh scored 13 points and was the star of the match as Warriors improve their chances of making it into playoffs. In the second match of the day, Puneri Paltan hammered Dabang Delhi 42-25.
The first half of the first game was a fought closely, with both teams matching each other. Pink Panthers were without their star player Deepak Hooda which meant Arjun Deshwal had too much on his plate. The youngster picked points, targeting Vishal Mane in the Warriors defense, but didn't get support from his teammates. At the other end, Bengal’s Maninder Singh looked flat in the first half. It was the secondary raiders Sukesh Hegde and Anand V who chipped in raid points for Warriors. A tackle in the last minute by Mane ensured that Bengal were leading 14-11 in the first half.
In the second half, Jaipur faced an all out on the very first minute thanks to Maninder Singh’s two-point raid. He then followed it with a three-point super raid in the third minute and secured his Super 10 by the sixth minute of the second half. Bengal got its second all out in the seventh minute to make scores 27-14. Mohammad Nabibakhsh inflicted another all out with three minutes remaining as Sahul Kumar and Sandeep Dhull struggled. Even Arjun Deshwal’s Super 10 wasn’t enough to help Jaipur make a comeback as the Warriors had a 20-point lead at one point. In the end Panthers suffered a 19-point defeat.
Pune dominated the first half with an all-round performance. Aslam Inamdar, Mohit Goyat and Nitin Tomar picked up quick points while their defenders ensured Delhi raiders had no luck in finding any sort of form in the first half. The Paltan got its first all out in the 10th minute and then followed it with another in the 18th to secure a 13-point lead. The first half which ended 25-13 in Pune’s favour.
Pune inflicted their third all out in the seventh minute of the second half and opened a 19-point lead by the 10th minute. Sombir got a high five for Pune as they maintained a massive lead in the end moments of the match. Delhi had no answers for Pune’s spirited display as Anup Kumar’s men secured an important win to keep their play-offs hopes alive.
