Tamil Thalaivas put in a fantastic all-round performance when they came up against Puneri Paltan and registered a superb win at the GMCB Indoor Stadium in Gachibowli, Hyderabad on Wednesday.
Tamil Thalaivas won the game with the scoreline at 35-30, ending Puneri Paltans’ 14-match unbeaten streak stretching to PKL Season 10.
It was Tamil Thalaivas who had the better of the early exchanges as they raced into a 5-point lead within the first five minutes of the contest. Narender and Nitesh Kumar were doing most of the damage at this point.
However, that’s when Mohit Goyat took charge, registering a flurry of quick points, helping Puneri Paltan roar back into the contest.
As the half wore on, Tamil Thalaivas continued to keep their opponents at bay. In the final phase of the half, Sachin inflicted an All-Out on Puneri Paltan, which helped Tamil Thalaivas extend their lead.
Sachin and Narender were leading from the front for Tamil Thalaivas, while it was Mohit Goyat, who was picking up the majority of the points for the defending champions. At the half-time break, Tamil Thalaivas led the contest with a scoreline of 19-15.
Tamil Thalaivas made a strong start to the second half and had the momentum going their way in the first part of the second half.
But Puneri Paltan wasn’t making it easy for them as they fought hard and clawed their way back into the contest. With the second half nearing the midway stage, Tamil Thalaivas’ lead had been cut down to 4 points.
But with just over 10 minutes to go, Tamil Thalaivas inflicted another All-Out, extending the lead to an 8-point one. From then on in, Tamil Thalaivas consolidated their lead with Sachin playing a starring role for his side.
Tamil Thalaivas did not let up their intensity in the final minutes and walked off with their second consecutive win of the season.
U Mumba Pick Up First Win Of The Season
Amirmohammad Zafardanesh put in a fine performance for U Mumba, who defeated Gujarat Giants to pick up their first points of the season. U Mumba won the contest with a scoreline at 33-27.
Guman Singh, who scored 3 points on the day for Gujarat Giants, was coincidentally with U Mumba last season.
U Mumba picked up the first points of the game courtesy of Manjeet and Amir Mohammad Zafardanesh, but from the very beginning, Gujarat Giants were fighting hard to keep their opposition in check.
After the first few minutes though, the U Mumba lead was wiped out as Parteek Dahiya, Guman Singh and Jitender Yadav turned it around for Gujarat Giants.
From the get-go, the contest was a close one with neither side willing to concede an inch to the other. For U Mumba, it was Manjeet who was leading the charge and at the halfway stage of the first half, they led the contest with a 3-point lead.
Himanshu then landed a Super Tackle for Gujarat Giants to bring the contest back to level terms. At the end of the first half, U Mumba led 14-13.
Early in the second half, Amirmohammad Zafardanesh inflicted an All-Out on Gujarat Giants and that gave U Mumba the early momentum.
However, Gujarat Giants weren’t throwing in the towel and were looking to mount a comeback. As the second half wore on, U Mumba managed to keep their opponents at bay. With just under 10 minutes to go, Gujarat Giants trailed by 5 points.
In the final phase of play, Amirmohammad Zafardanesh reached the 10-point mark for the game as U Mumba began to consolidate their lead. Gujarat Giants were throwing the kitchen sink at the opposition, but it wasn’t to be. Eventually, U Mumba came away with the win.