Patna Pirates cruises past Telugu Titans 38-30 confirming their position at the pole position

The Patna Pirates were in action in the ‘Match 116’ of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 as the team locked horns against the Telugu Titans in their 19th appearance this season. The Pirates came into the match with a five-game winning streak to their name. On the other hand, the Hyderabad-based franchise is already out of the race for playoffs and had nothing to lose coming into the match.

Sachin Tawar was electric for the three-time champions as he racked up a total of 14 points for his side, racking up another Super 10 to his name. The raider received great support from Guman Singh who acted as the do-or-die specialist for the side picking up 4 points to his name. While the defense looked a little off-color tonight, they still managed to rack up twelve tackle points throughout the match.

Rajnish was the top scorer for the Titans in a losing effort against the table-toppers as the raider accumulated 10 points for his sid and he was aptly supported by Ankit Beniwal who had 7 points against his tally. The defensive unit looked strong in the first thirty minutes of the game but lost their control over the raiders and made far too many mistakes that cost their side the match. The team had only eight tackle points to their name which was one of the key reasons for their loss tonight.

Both the sides started the first half full of intensity as they traded points back and forth with each other. Patna was all over their opponents in the first ten minutes of the first half as they kept the opponent raiders in check and did not allow them to score past their rock-solid defense. Mohammadreza Chiyaneh has been one of the biggest stars the league has found this season, and it was evidently on display yet again as the Iranian defender gave his opponents no opportunity to make a move against the right corner.

Patna capitalized on their momentum and thumped Telugu Titans with the first all-out in the half to establish a six-point lead over the Hyderabad-based franchise. Sachin was nothing short of electric as the raider scored back consecutive multi-point raids to facilitate the all-out upon their opponents.

The Telugu Titans were not willing to back down so soon in the contest as they fired back strong in the final ten minutes of the half as Ankit Beniwal and Rajnish helped their side fight back with multi-point raids to return the favor and inflict the first all-out upon the Patna Pirates in the closing moments of the first half to create a lead over their opponents, albeit only by a solitary point. 

Patna however did not allow the setback to hinder them for long as the defense found a way to bring an end to the rampage from Rajnish as they were able to reacquire their lead into the game leading by 21-20 heading into the second half.

Sunil Kumar attempts to dash Rajnish away from the midline

Patna brought back their ace raider Monu Goyat back into the fold during the second half of the game as the player has been out from regular main team action for the last six games. The Telugu Titans capitalized on this as they tackled Monu twice within the first five minutes to regain their lead back from the Pirates to turn the tides in their favor, leading by 24-26 with twelve minutes remaining in the game.

Pirates who have been great as a defensive unit throughout the season but felt a little out of touch in the first thirty minutes of the game with just six tackle points to their name, the franchise had twelve failed tackles to their side, which the team quickly realized on and fixed their mistake as the defense stabilized themselves. 

The team fired back with consecutive tackle points to put the Telugu Titans on the verge of their second all-out of the game. The Pirates were back in the lead with a scoreline of 29-27 entering the final five minutes of the game. Sachin quickly used the momentum to convert the man advantage into an all-out over their opponents to push the point difference to 34-27 with just three and a half minutes left in the game.

The team was quick to cut down the pace from the game, leaving Telugu Titans with no opportunity to make a comeback into the game. Mohammadreza closed the deal with a tackle point on Ankit Beniwal to complete his 10th Thigh 5 this season, facilitating an eight-point victory over their opponents at the final draw of the whistle as the scoreline read 38-30.

With the win over the Telugu Titans, the Patna-based franchise confirmed their position on the top of the table with 75 points to their name in 19 games. The team will be very happy with the results as it confirms their direct entry into the semi-finals of the tournament.