The Tamil Thalaivas returned to winning ways after a brilliant performance that helped them beat the UP Yoddhas 40-26 in Match 77 of PKL 11 at the Noida Indoor Stadium on Tuesday.
Dabang Delhi and Patna Pirates, on the other hand, shared points as they settled for a 39-39 draw in the second match of the evening.
It was a well-earned victory for the Thalaivas led by the substitute Masanamuthu, and his Iranian counterpart Moein Shafagi, as they made up for their loss in the previous outing between the two sides.
A fast start from the Tamil Thalaivas saw early points won by Narender Kandola and his four straight raid points. However, a Super tackle by Ashu Singh set the tone for a comeback for the home team, UP Yoddhas. Gagan Gowda started with a Do-or-Die raid that got Nitesh Kumar. His next successful raid also bore fruit by inflicting an ALL OUT on the Tamil Thalaivas, getting Sahil Gulia and Ronak in one brilliant raid.
This gave the UP Yoddhas a solid base to work on their lead over the Tamil Thalaivas. Despite Narender winning raid points for his team, he did not get any support from his teammates, which hurt their chances throughout the game. UP Yoddhas continued their strong momentum through to the end of the first half, with a score difference of 17-12.
The second half began in a similar manner, with the Tamil Thalaivas struggling in the absence of Narender Kandola, who was substituted after suffering an injury towards the end of the first half. It seemed like the UP Yoddhas were running away with the win, but this was not to be as Masanamuthu entered the fray and changed the complexion of the match.
In the third phase of the match, Masanamuthu – who was brought on in place of Narender Kandola – came on with an unexpected Super Raid that got Ashu Singh, Sahul Kumar, and Sumit in one fell swoop. This inflicted an ALL OUT on the UP Yoddhas, as the Tamil Thalaivas turned the tide on their opponents.
Iranian Moein Shafagi entered the fray for the Tamil Thalaivas, and he complimented Masanamuthu as they went on to inflict a third ALL OUT on the home team. Gagan Gowda was on form, but his teammates failed to perform, and with a final ALL OUT inflicted on the UP Yoddhas by Shafagi once again – their third of the night – the match eventually ended with a 14-point win for the Tamil Thalaivas.
Patna Pirates and Dabang Delhi play out thrilling draw
It was an absolute edge of the seat show at the Noida Indoor Stadium, as the Patna Pirates and Dabang Delhi played out a thrilling tie on Tuesday in PKL Season 11. The two sides ended with the scores tied at 39-39.
The Dabang Delhi made a superb comeback in the second half after the Patna Pirates had dominated the game in the first half. For the Patna Pirates, Devank top scored with 15 points, while Deepak got 7 and Ankit bagged a Hi-5. Meanwhile, Ashu Malik continued his brilliant form with yet another Super 10, scoring 11 points, with Ashish adding 7 and Naveen Kumar getting 6 of his own.
Devank and Naveen picked up the first points for their sides, before the in-form Ashu Malik landed a three-point raid, to set the tone for the contest. Both Dabang Delhi and the Patna Pirates were matching each other move for move, in what was an action-packed start.
As the half wore on, the two defensive units started to tighten things on either end of the court, giving the likes of Naveen, Ashu and Devank a tough time. However, Sandeep and Devank went through the gears, and with a little over five minutes left, the Patna Pirates led by 6 points. Ankit had chipped in with an ALL OUT as the Patna Pirates were starting to pull away.
Dabang Delhi found it tough to score raids in the final minutes of the first half, as the Patna Pirates marched onto a 10-point lead. Devank completed his 9th Super 10 of the season within the first half and Patna Pirates led 20-10 at the break.
The second move of the second half saw the Patna Pirates land an ALL OUT on the Dabang Delhi But on the other end, Ashu Malik too had started the half well. The Pirates led by more than 10 points, but Ashu Malik was beginning to go through the gears. 5 points from 3 raids from Ashu Malik and a bit of support from the defence had brought the Dabang Delhi right into the contest. Soon enough, the Dabang Delhi landed an ALL OUT on the Patna Pirates, and wrestled away the momentum. With ten minutes to go, the Pirates led by 8 points, and Devank had already amassed 14 points.
With 7 minutes to go, Ashu completed his 12th Super 10 as the Dabang Delhi continued to fight on. The Patna Pirates kept the opposition at bay as the clock ticked on, maintaining a healthy lead. A Super Tackle on Ayan and a quick raid from Naveen reduced the lead to a 5-point one, but there was just a couple of minutes left.
Then Ashish turned the game on its head with a three-point Super Raid and the deficit was down to one-point. Dabang Delhi piled on the pressure on the Patna Pirates, with an ALL OUT, wiping out the deficit and taking a one-point lead with a minute to go. Shubham Shinde and Devank turned it back in Patna Pirates’ favour as the contest stayed on a knife edge. Eventually, Dabang Delhi fought back again, as the two sides finished on the same points. The Dabang Delhi had fought back from a 14-point deficit.
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