Thalaivas goes down to Bulls in southern contest

CHENNAI: Tamil Thalaivas suffered a second successive defeat as Bengaluru Bulls recorded a 40-34 victory over its southern rival in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 in Pune on Sunday.

Thalaivas, which was behind by two points (32-34) with about four minutes remaining on the clock, reduced Bulls to just two men, but later failed to make use of the opponent’s numerical disadvantage. The Tamil Nadu team suffered two ‘Super Tackles’, which not only helped the Bengaluru side extend the lead to six points but also prevented an ‘All Out’. Bulls managed the match well in the final couple of minutes to secure the win.

For the Bengaluru team, Bharat (14 raid points) was the star of the night while Neeraj Narwal (6 points – 4 raid points and 2 tackle points), substitute Sachin Narwal (5 raid points) and right corner Saurabh Nandal (5 tackle points) also played their part. Narender (10 points – 9 raid points and 1 tackle point) was the top contributor for Thalaivas, which once again let the pressure get the better of it in the last 10 minutes.

Following the result, Bulls moved to the top of the table with 46 points from 13 matches while Thalaivas is ninth with 35 points off 13 games.

At the start, it was Bulls that dominated as it inflicted the first ‘All Out’ in the fifth minute to open up a six-point (9-3) advantage. But, Thalaivas bounced back in style, effecting its first clean sweep in the 17th minute to take a slender 1-point (16-15) lead. At the half-time breather, the Tamil Nadu outfit was ahead by a point as the scorecard read 19-18.

Narender and cover defender Mohit Jakkar, who picked up four tackle points on the night, were instrumental in Thalaivas taking the lead. However, Bulls managed a comeback of its own to secure another ‘All Out’ in the 28th minute. With 10 minutes remaining on the clock, Thalaivas was behind by only two points, but could not come up with another turnaround.

Earlier in the night, Guman Singh earned 13 raid points for U Mumba, which registered a comfortable 36-23 win over Patna Pirates.

RESULTS: Tamil Thalaivas 34 lost to Bengaluru Bulls 40; U Mumba 36 bt Patna Pirates 23