Patna Pirates cruise over Bengaluru Bulls to consolidate their position at the top of the table

The Patna Pirates dominated the Bengaluru Bulls in the 59th game of the Pro Kabaddi League, emerging victorious over the Bulls by 38-31 at the end of the final whistle in a high-profile contest for the top of the table. The Pirates picked up seventeen points in defense, scoring two all-outs over the Bengaluru Bulls.

Sunil and Mohammadreza Chiyaneh were the stars of the show for the Patna Pirates tonight as both the corners were absolutely lethal in defense. The duo picked up a total of twelve points for their side, holding off Pawan Sehrawat away from the mat for the vast majority of the game.

Pawan had an outstanding start to the game as the Bengaluru Bulls skipper picked up another ‘Super 10’ in the starting twelve minutes of the game. The high-flier kept the Pirates defense guessing but soon fell prey to the combined attempts of Sunil, Mohammadreza, Neeraj, and C Sajin. Pawan was off the court for almost twenty-four minutes in the entirety of the game and was one of the key reasons for Bengaluru’s loss tonight.

The Bulls were able to shorten the margin of defeat in the final few minutes of the game courtesy of back-to-back super tackles from Mahender Singh and Saurabh Nandal. They both scored a high five in the game and were one of the silver linings for the Bulls in today’s contest.

Other than Pawan, none of the Bulls raiders were able to get past the rock-solid Patna defense as both Chandran Ranjit and Deepak Narwal failed to evade the Pirates’ defenders. Ranjit and Deepak just picked up a total of six points for their side and were unable to revive Pawan.

The Bulls faced two all-outs twice in the game, both times the team failed to revive Pawan after he was tackled by the Patna Pirates. On offense, both Sachin and Guman Singh took up the responsibility to pick up the points for their side in absence of regular ace Monu Goyat who was unavailable due to fatigue.

Sachin Tanwar scored a two-point raid over the Bulls in the second half, bringing them on the brink of their second all-out

Sachin was stellar for the Pirates as he never gave the Bulls the chance to make a comeback in the game. He received great support from Guman and skipper, Prashant Kumar Rai who evenly rotated during the raids to keep the Bulls guessing. On the other hand, Guman was more of a do-or-die specialist for the team as the young raider picked up seven points for the Pirates.

Skipper Prashant was calm throughout the entire game and displayed a composed mindset even after trailing in the first ten minutes of the game by five points. The veteran player was vocal, instructing his players during defense and keeping them in check, not allowing his players to make any slip-ups against the Bulls.

With the win over the Bengaluru Bulls, the Patna Pirates have consolidated their spot at the points table with 39 points in their ten games. The Pirates have a one-game advantage over the Bulls, who share the joint spot with the Pirates with 39 points in 11 games. Pirates will face Dabang Delhi on the 18th of January in their next game and will hope to keep their momentum up and running.