Jaipur beats Thalaivas to qualify for playoffs

PATNA: Jaipur Pink Panthers beat Tamil Thalaivas 42-27 in the Pro Kabaddi League match at the Patliputra Indoor Stadium in Patna on Wednesday.

The win meant the Jaipur Pink Panthers has become the first team to qualify for the playoffs this season, with three legs of the league stage yet to be played. As has been his wont this season Arjun Deshwal starred for the Jaipur Pink Panthers with an impressive 13 points while the Tamil Thalaivas’ raider Narender picked up 12 in a losing effort.

In a first half defined mostly by extraordinary moments, Narender kicked things off with a SUPER RAID to take out Reza Mirbagheri, Ankush and Sunil Kumar to put the Thalaivas in control. Not to be outdone, Arjun Deshwal responded in kind with a SUPER RAID of his own that reduced the Thalaivas numbers on the mat. It took a pair of brilliant SUPER TACKLES from the Thalaivas’ debutant Mohammadreza Kaboudrahangi to keep his side in the same and even hold a slender two-point lead as they went into the break. The second half, though, was a different game altogether as the Jaipur Pink Panthers banded together and came to the fore to show its championship credentials.

Deshwal’s constant menace had the Thalaivas scrambling and it inflicted the first ALL OUT of the game to take a 27-20 lead halfway through the second half. A second ALL OUT with four minutes of the game left ended the contest as the Pink Panthers took a huge 37-22 lead. Its misfiring defence which had logged a mere three points in the first half clicked brilliantly to come back with 11 in the second period, a huge reason for the resounding victory.

Earlier, Patna Pirates extended its unbeaten run at home as it shared points with the Bengaluru Bulls in a pulsating 28-28 tie. Patna’s Sandeep Kumar (14 raid points) and Ankit (8 tackle points) were the star performers of the enthralling encounter.