Sports News | Jaipur Pink Panthers Knock out Tamil Thalaivas, Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Jaipur Pink Panthers produced an impressive all-round display to eliminate Tamil Thalaivas from the playoffs race with a 34-27 win in the Pro Kabaddi League here on Sunday.
Pune, Dec 15 (PTI) Jaipur Pink Panthers produced an impressive all-round display to eliminate Tamil Thalaivas from the playoffs race with a 34-27 win in the Pro Kabaddi League here on Sunday.
Arjun Deshwal found ample support from the likes of Neeraj Narwal and Abhijeet Malik, while Ankush Rathee led the defensive charge. For the Tamil Thalaivas, Nitesh Kumar's High 5 went in vain.
The Panthers skipper and star raider Arjun had good support from his supporting raiders Abhijeet and Ankush as the two-time Champions began to take an early lead.
Arjun started the point-scoring with a running hand touch on Amir Hossein Bastami, while Abhijeet secured a Do-Or-Die raid against Aashish.
For the Thalaivas, a Super Tackle sent Arjun to the bench but the impressive start by the defenders did not last for too long.
Six consecutive points for Jaipur saw Sai Prasad caught by Surjeet Singh just after Abhishek Manokaran surrendered to Neeraj Narwal for an ALL OUT.
This gave the team a good platform as the score read 20-13 at the end of the first half.
Jaipur piled the pressure on the Thalaivas as for every point won by the Thalaivas, Arjun Deshwal's side had a very strong response.
Using their defensive prowess, the Panthers continued to dominate the second half of the match, consistently neutralizing Thalaivas' offensive attempts.
In a commanding display of the Panthers' defensive lineup, led by stellar performances from Ankush Rathee – who scored a High 5 – systematically dismantled the Thalaivas' raiders.
He stepped up as Arjun Deshwal struggled to find his rhythm, repeatedly getting tackled by the Thalaivas' defenders.
The Thalaivas rode on the raiders of Abhishek and Chandran Ranjith, who stepped up to maintain the team's momentum.
The Panthers effectively controlled the Do-Or-Die raids that helped expand their lead.
As the match came to a close, the Panthers decisively outperformed the Thalaivas, ultimately securing a comprehensive seven-point victory.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)