Pro Kabaddi League: Last-minute Deepak Hooda raid helps Jaipur Pink Panthers beat UP Yoddha

Arjun Deshwal starred for Jaipur Pink Panthers as they beat UP Yoddha 32-29 in match 16 of Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 held at The Sheraton Grand, Whitefield, Bengaluru. The young raider who joined after the auctions from U Mumba scored 11 points for Jaipur who also saw their captain Deepak Hooda contribute with important 9 points.

It was yet another disappointing night for "record-breaker" Pardeep Narwal who scored just 3 raid points from 12 attempts. The match started with Jaipur on the front foot. The season 1 champions, under the leadership of captain Deepak Hooda, kept picking up solid raid points while ensuring UP's Pardeep Narwal stayed on the bench.

Arjun Deshwal complimented Deepak Hooda with 5 raid points in the first half as the Pink Panthers clinched their first ALL OUT with 3 minutes remaining in the half to open an 8-point lead. Surender Gill, fresh from his heroics against Patna Pirates, thought he had reduced the Panthers' lead when he got a 3-point Super Raid in the final minute. But Deepak Hooda then fetched a 3-point Super Raid in the final move of the half that ended 19-12 in Jaipur's favour.

Pardeep Narwal's lack of raid points became a big concern for UP Yoddha who paid 1.65 crores at the PKL auctions to lure him. But Rohit Tomar kept UP raiding unit alive while the corner defenders Nitesh Kumar and Sumit slowly started getting their act together. They reduced Jaipur's lead to 4 points with 10 minutes left in the match. Arjun Deshwal continued his good work for Jaipur as he made three Super 10s in three matches. With six minutes remaining Jaipur had a 7-point lead but in Rohit Tomar, UP found a hero.

The lanky all-rounder scored points at both ends to ensure Jaipur remained at a striking distance with 5 minutes left in the clock. Pardeep Narwal meanwhile could not find form in the dying minutes. Despite great raiding by Rohit and Surender Gill, the UP defence could not nail down Deepak Hooda in the final raid of the match which allowed Jaipur to win the match.