Patna: Jaipur Pink Panthers’ defence produced an excellent performance as they beat defending champions Patna Pirates 26-21. It was the second consecutive defeat for Patna Pirates as their over reliance on star raider Pardeep Narwal was once again exposed. Shabeer Bapu commanded his defence superbly as Jaipur Pink Panthers scored 17 tackle points.
Patna Pirates still remain top of the table with 26 points from seven games. Jaipur Pink Panthers are hot on their trail in second position with 25 points from seven games.
Jaipur Pink Panthers were quick out of the blocks as they led 3-0 after four minutes. Pardeep Narwal scored with his first raid point in the fifth minute to open Patna Pirates’ account. Narwal then took out two Jaipur men with his next raid as Patna Pirates tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth minute. The game was tied at 5-5 after 10 minutes but TusharPatil scored two points with his first raid as Jaipur Pink Panthers led 7-5.
Jaipur Pink Panthers forced the first super tackle in 16th minute as they led 10-8. Patna Pirates’ Pardeep Narwal scored six raid points in the first half but failed to get support from other raiders. Jaipur Pink Panthers defence was the difference between the two teams as theywent into the break leading 12-10.
Jaipur Pink Panthers forced the second super tackle in the 21st minute to open a four-point lead. Patna Pirates defenders scored only three tackle points in 25 minutes as they trailed 11-16. But led by BajiraoHodagethey forced two super tackles in the space of three minutes as they trailed 15-17 and revived Pardeep Narwal who immediately scored a raid point to cut the lead to just one point after 31 minutes.
However, Jaipur Pink Panthers were in no mood to surrender their lead as ShabeerBapu got his second super tackle of the match in 32nd minute to give his team a 19-17 lead. With less than six minutes to go, Jaipur Pink Panthers forced another super tackle to lead 21-18. FazelAtrachali attained his “high five” in the 36th minute as Patna Pirates trailed 19-21. Jaipur Pink Panthers’ defence continued to lead the charge as they forced another super tackle to lead 23-19 after 37 minutes. Patna Pirates scored two points in the last two minutes but it wasn’t enough as Jaipur Pink Panthers beat them 26-21.
