Patna: Bengal Warriors got the better of U Mumba by a 32-30 scoreline at the Patliputra Indoor Stadium in Patna on Friday. Baldev Singh got a High 5 for the Bengal Warriors, while Arjun Deshwal scored a fighting Super 10 for U Mumba.

U Mumba began the match with a successful tackle by Surinder Singh and followed it up with a successful raid by Deshwal to move into a quick 2-0 lead. They enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges with both their defence and raiders firing. U Mumba eventually enforced the first All-out of the game on Bengal Warriors in the 11th minute to take a 12-5 lead.

Bengal Warriors looked to forge a comeback immediately after the All-Out, but it was their defence that was proving to be their main source of points with the raiders finding it difficult against U Mumba’s defenders. Despite managing to chip away at U Mumba’s lead, Bengal Warriors still trailed 11-16going into the break.

Bengal Warriors started the second period in rollicking fashion courtesy of Prapanjan’s three-point Super Raid. Just three minutes later, they went on to enforce an All-Out on U Mumba and took a narrow 18-17 lead. U Mumba, though, wrestled back the initiative after a two-point raid by Deshwal, who had been finding success all night.

Deshwal picked up his Super 10 near the half-hour mark after another two-point raid that enforced a second All-Out on Bengal Warriors and gave U Mumba a 26-20 lead. Bengal Warriors began to claw away at U Mumba’s lead again and brought it down to two points to set up a nervy last five minutes. Their defence and Baldev, in particular, seemed to be thriving under pressure as they reduced the deficit to just one point with a little more than four minutes to play.

Successive successful raids by Mohammad Nabibakhsh then gave Bengal Warriors the lead and set up a second All-Out on U Mumba. With a three-point lead at 31-28 to protect in the last three minutes, Bengal Warriors looked to run down the clock. An unsuccessful tackle by Baldev and a successful tackle by U Mumba’s Sandeep Narwal brought Bengal Warriors’ lead down to just one point. However, an emphatic tackle by Jeeva Kumar on Deshwal in the final raid sealed the win for Bengal Warriors.

Top Performers:
U Mumba –
Best Raider –Arjun Deshwal(10 Raid Points)
Best Defender –Surinder Singh(4 Tackle Points)
Bengal Warriors –
Best Raider – K. Prapanjan (6 Raid Points)
Best Defender –Baldev Singh(5 Tackle Points)

Meanwhile, in the second match of the day, Patna Pirates outscored UP Yoddha by 40-21.

Today’s Match Awards:

VIVO PERFECT RAIDER OF THE MATCH
ARJUN DESHWAL (JERSEY NO. 2) – U MUMBA
PARDEEP NARWAL (JERSEY NO. 9) – PATNA PIRATES

TATA MOTORS ACE DEFENDER OF THE MATCH
BALDEV SINGH (JERSEY NO. 1) – BENGAL WARRIORS
NEERAJ (JERSEY NO. 5) – PATNA PIRATES

DREAM11 GAME CHANGER OF THE MATCH
BALDEV SINGH (JERSEY NO. 1) – BENGAL WARRIORS
NEERAJ (JERSEY NO. 5) – PATNA PIRATES

MOMENT OF THE MATCH
JEEVA KUMAR (JERSEY NO. 6) – BENGAL WARRIORS
PARDEEP NARWAL (JERSEY NO. 9) – PATNA PIRATES

HONDA X BLADE MOST STYLISH PLAYER OF THE PATNA LEG
PARDEEP NARWAL (JERSEY NO. 9) – PATNA PIRATES

ULTRATECH NO.1 PLAYER OF THE HOME TEAM
PARDEEP NARWAL (JERSEY NO. 9) – PATNA PIRATES

Team Standings