New Delhi: Jaipur Pink Panthers on Sunday defeated Bengal Warriorz 39-34 to kick off their Pro Kabaddi League campaign for the season 11 on a optimistic mood. Newly appointed captain Arjun Deshwal was on fire in his first match with the new role.
Moving from Gujarat Giants to Bengal Warriorz, Iranian icon Fazel Atrachali was spot on leading his new team into with solid defense. The Bengal defense attempted to foil the Jaipur Pink Panthers attackers in the early stage. Bengal were in the lead at one point, but the Pink Panthers rode on the salvo of Deshwal to get into the lead.
Abhijeet Malik tackled to complete the first ‘All Out’ against Bengal Warriorz in the game, a key factor that helped the two-time PKL champions to move into the half-time with a three-point lead at 21-18.
Abhijeet continued his brilliance in the Jaipur defense, inflicting another All Out on Fazel and his men just 10 minutes before the final whistle to blow. By now, the Jaipur outfit extended their lead by four points at 29-25.
Lion-hearted efforts from Nitin Dhankar brought Bengal Warriorz back into the game, but a super tackle from Abhishek KS eventually sealed the match for the Jaipur Pink Panthers. Deshwal returned with 15 points from a total of 25 raids while Nitin Dhakar was top point-drawer for Bengal with 13 points. Abhijeet had the most successful tackles (4) in the match.
Clinical Gujarat Giants beat Bengaluru Bulls
The Gujarat Giants opened their campaign at PKL Season 11 with a complete team performance as they saw off the challenge by the Bengaluru Bulls to win in a nail-biting contest with a margin of 36-32. Parteek Dahiya, Guman Singh and Sombir starred for the Gujarat Giants, while Pardeep Narwal and Ajinkya Pawar were the best performers for the Bengaluru Bulls.
The first half of the game also saw the record breaker Pardeep Narwal create history as he became the first ever player to achieve the 1700-point milestone in the history of the PKL.
(With inputs from agencies)
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