The Gujarat Giants faced the Tamil Thalaivas in their eleventh game of the Pro Kabaddi League season 8 on Thursday here in Sheraton Grand Whitefield, Bengaluru.
Both sides have had a mixed bag of results this far into the season. The Thalaivas as well as the Giants came into the fixture on the back of nail-biting draws against the Jaipur Pink Panthers and U Mumba respectively.
The Giants were able to topple the Thalaivas to earn their third win of the season as they managed to retain their two-minute lead in the closing minutes of the game. Both sides were evenly matched throughout the game, having picked up twenty-three raid points each at the end of the final whistle.
Mahendra Rajput and Rakesh Narwal were outstanding for the Giants tonight as the duo picked up fifteen points for their side. Other than Mahendra and Rakesh, R Sungroya played an essential role in the team picking up points at crucial do-or-die situations. Sunil Kumar, led the defensive charge for the Giants as the experienced defender picked up his thigh 5 in the game to consolidate his side’s victory.
On the other hand, the Tamil Thalaivas went toe-to-toe with the Gujarat-based franchise in the raiding department as both Manjeet and Ajinkia Pawar scored a ‘Super 10’ for their side but were unable to help their side past the finish line. Manjeet emerged as the top raider of the game with twelve points for his team but couldn’t pick the point when it mattered the most.
Ajinkya Pawar tries to get a running hand touch on Mahender Rajput in the 2nd half
Gujarat created the early lead in the game as they dominated the early minutes of the game against the Thalaivas. The defensive unit kept the raider in check for the first ten-fifteen minutes of the game, not allowing them enough room to score against the rock-solid defense.
With just two minutes left in the first half, the Giants outplayed the Thalaivas inflicting the first all-out of the game gaining a three-point advantage over their opponents heading into the first half.
The Thalaivas fought back in the second half and Manjeet and Ajinkia helped the South Indian side return the favor from the closing minutes of the first half inflicting Gujarat’s only all-out of the game. Both the sides were evenly managed for the majority of the second half, trading points back and forth amongst each other. However, Pardeep Kumar’s super raid in the 38th minute of the game turned the tides of the game in favor of the Giants.
Gujarat will be happy with their win tonight as both the offensive and defensive units worked in perfect sync alongside each other to help them earn their hard-fought win against the Thalaivas. Coach Manpreet Singh will look to use this momentum to rally the troops against their upcoming opponents in Bengaluru Bulls, who have been in red-hot form this season
The Thalaivas, on the other hand, will look to bounce back after their defeat against the Giants and look to get back on winning ways as they face the Jaipur Pink Panthers in Saturday’s triple-header in their 12th contest of the season.