Bengaluru Bulls triumph over Telugu Titans to climb back to the top spot at the league table
The Bengaluru Bulls were up against the Tamil Thalaivas in the 74th fixture of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 as the Bulls found their first victory in their last four games with an emphatic 36-31 win over the Titans in the South Indian Derby at Bengaluru’s Sheraton Grand Hotel.
The Bengaluru Bulls welcomed the Telugu Titans in the 74th fixture of the Pro Kabaddi League. The Bulls were set to face the Gujarat Giants, but their fixture was rescheduled due to unforeseen circumstances. Mashal Sports, the organizers of the tournament have yet to announce the new date for the clash between the Bulls and the Giants, but the fans did not miss out on any action, as “High-Flyer” Pawan Sehrawat was yet again in full display, albeit against different opponents.
The Bengaluru defenders were rock solid in the early half of the game, as they did not allow Rakesh Gowda and Ankit Beniwal to dictate the flow of the game, keeping them under check for the majority of the first half. Pawan on the other hand, was brilliant for his side as the Bulls’ skipper was a big threat for the Titans, racking up six points in the first half, facilitating the first all-out of the game under just ten minutes of the first half.
The Bengaluru-based franchise dominated the majority of the first half, as the team outplayed their opponents in both the offensive and defensive departments. Heading into the second half, the Bulls had a big eleven points lead over their opponents, with fourteen raid points in the first half.
The Titans made a strong comeback in the second half of the game, trailing by 11-22, their defender took it upon themselves to foster their team back into the game. The Surinder Singh-led defense picked up nine tackle points in the second half of the game, keeping Pawan away from the court for a large majority of the final half. Adarsh T and Akash Choudhary played an instrumental role in the comeback as the duo picked up a total of nine points, with Akash scoring his first High 5 of the season.
However, the Bulls were not ready to back down just yet as Bharat took up the mantle of the strike raider in the absence of skipper Pawan and picked up a total of seven points in the game making sure that the Titans could not close in on their four-point lead with just six minutes remaining in the game.
Saurabh Nandal pounces on Rakesh Gowda to pick up his third point of the game
With just two minutes remaining in the game, Ankit pulled off a miraculous two-point raid, providing Titans with the final chance to make the comeback in the game, but Deepak Narwal quickly put an emphatic end to their struggles with a running hand touch on C Arun, ending any hopes of a comeback with just forty seconds left on the clock.
The Bulls will be very happy with their win over the Titans, as the team had been struggling to find wins in their last three games. This could be the reset coach Randheer Singh Sehrawat was desperately looking for, as the Bulls proved that they could work in sync in the absence of their strike raider in Pawan Sehrawat. The Titans on the other hand are almost out from the race to the playoffs, as the team has only managed nineteen points in their thirteen games so far.
The Titans will have to win all of their remaining fixtures to secure a spot in the playoffs and they will face their biggest challenge in their path as the team is set to face the Patna Pirates on Tuesday. The Pirates have been in great form so far in the tournament, emerging as the most balanced side with both their offensive and defensive units racking up points in all of their games.