The Jaipur Pink Panthers secured a crucial win in the race for the playoffs as they beat Gujarat Giants 42-29 in Match 103 of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2024 at the Badminton Hall in Balewadi Stadium on Tuesday, December 10. Raid Machine and team skipper Arjun Deshwal was their main aggressor yet again, having scored 13 points, but Neeraj Narwal’s eight points and Ankush Rathee’s High 5 played an equally important role in the victory.
Jaipur Pink Panthers register 42-29 win over Gujarat Giants
A fast-paced start to the match saw the Jaipur Pink Panthers race to an early lead over the Gujarat Giants. In the early exchanges, Neeraj Narwal got Mohammad Nabibakhsh, and then Neeraj Kumar wasted a Super Tackle opportunity against the Raid Machine Arjun Deshwal. This led to the first ALL OUT inflicted on the Gujarat Giants, after Rohit failed to tackle Neeraj Narwal.
This set the tone for the game as the Jaipur Pink Panthers completely dominated their opponents. Ankush Rathee joined the party with a bold move on Rakesh, and even though the Gujarat Giants found successful raids courtesy bonus points, the Panthers inflicted a second ALL OUT on the Gujarat Giants towards the end of the first half as the score read 27-16 in favour of the two-time PKL champions.
The script of the match remained the same in the second half as well. As much as Guman Singh and Rakesh led the raiders for the Gujarat Giants, their defence had no answers to the might of Arjun Deshwal and Neeraj Narwal. ‘Gunman’ Guman also completed a Super Raid in a brilliant move that got Ankush Rathee, Surjeet Singh and Abhishek KS, but it was not enough as the Jaipur Pink Panthers began to run away with the win.
Arjun Deshwal completed a well-earned Super 10, while Ankush Rathee completed his second High 5 of the season. For the Gujarat Giants, Guman Singh and Rakesh scored nine points each, but it was not enough as the Jaipur Pink Panthers closed out an impressive 13-point win over the Gujarat Giants to move into sixth position as they remain in the hunt for a playoffs spot.
Bengaluru Bulls neutralised by Fazel Atrachali-inspired Bengal Warriorz
In other match, a defensive masterclass led by skipper Fazel Atrachali ensured that the Bengal Warriorz beat the Bengaluru Bulls 44-29. Vishwas S scored 13 points, but the defensive duo of Nitesh Kumar and Fazel Atrachali scored seven points each on the way to the victory, effectively ending the Bengaluru Bulls’ PKL 11 campaign and eliminating them from the playoffs race.
The Bengal Warriorz dominated the first half of the clash. With Maninder Singh absent, Vishwas stepped up brilliantly as the lead raider, accumulating an impressive 7 raid points and proving to be a crucial player for the team. But a lot of the credit goes to the defensive prowess of Nitesh Kumar and skipper Fazel Atrachali, who got the Bengaluru Bulls ALL OUT with six minutes left to the end of the first half.
A highlight for the Bengaluru Bulls was the performance of their skipper Pardeep emerged as their primary offensive threat. He scored 5 raid points and even executed a Super Raid that took out Fazel Atrachali, Nitesh Kumar and Pranay Rane. But a lack of support from his teammates meant that the Bengal Warriorz established a commanding 10-point lead going into the break as the score read 22-12.
The Bengal Warriorz upped the ante in the second half as Nitesh Kumar reached his High 5. On the other side of the mat, record-breaker and Dubki King Pardeep Narwal reached his Super 10 after a successful raid got Nitesh Kumar off the mat. Meanwhile, Vishwas S completed a well-earned Super 10 as well.
The second ALL OUT was inflicted on the Bengaluru Bulls with 12 minutes left to the end of the game. As the match came to a close, it was the brilliant Fazel Atrachali and his defensive unit who took the Bengal Warriorz to an all-important win. He scored a High 5 as well, as the one-time PKL champions secured a massive 15-point win to keep them in the race for the playoffs.
