Puneri Paltan registers their 11th win of the season as Tamil Thalaivas crash out from the race to playoffs

The Puneri Paltan was in action in ‘Match 121’ of the Pro Kabaddi League Season against the Tamil Thaliavas in a must-win encounter for both sides to keep their chances for playoffs alive and running. The Pune-based franchise has been in great form in their last three matches after the defeat at the hands of league leaders Patna Pirates and extended their unbeaten streak to four matches with a 43-31 win over Tamil Thalaivas to send them packing from the race to playoffs.

Aslam Inamdar and Mohit Goyat were the stars of the show for their franchise as the duo picked up a total of nineteen points in the game to lead the team past the finish line. Mohit picked up another Super 10 to his name and coach Anup Kumar will surely be satisfied with his team’s performance at the business end of the tournament. Skipper, Nitin Tomar took a backseat role in the contest with both his young raiders doing the majority of the job. The experienced raider had four points to his name and helped his side control the flow of the game.

The defensive unit was right on the mark tonight as all three of their key defenders looked rock solid throughout the game and shared a total of twelve points amongst themselves. Abinesh Nadarajan spearheaded the defensive unit with a Thigh 5 to his name racking up five points to his name. Sombir and Vishal Bhardwaj were astute with their tackles as well picking up three and four points respectively. The team had a total of fifteen tackle points in the contest, which is one of their best performances so far this season.

On the other hand, the Tamil Thalaivas will be disappointed with how the night turned out for their side as they are officially out from the race to playoffs after their defeat against the Pune-based franchise. 

None of the Chennai-based side’s raiders was able to leave a remarkable impact on the game. Strike raider, Manjeet had it tough tonight as he could only manage four points to his name. Bhavani Rajput who came off as a substitute in the 9th minute of the game in place of defender Sahil Surender picked up seven points for his side but was unable to help them cross the finish line.

The defensive unit looked disheveled against the opposition as they could only manage six tackle points in the entire game including a Super tackle from Skipper, Surjeet Singh which was his only contribution in the entire contest. The team had a total of twelve unsuccessful tackles and will be disappointed with their performance tonight. The team still has two fixtures left in their campaign and will look to end their campaign on a positive note with wins in their remaining fixtures.

Rahul discusses strategy with his teammates against the Thalivas

Both the sides were evenly matched in the first half of the contest as they traded points back and forth with each other. Either team could not gain a considerable lead upon their opponents as the raiders looked in fine shape holding the game for their franchises. 

Himanshu gave his all as the all-rounder had eight points to his name in the contest but did not receive the required support from his teammates as the Pune-based side were able to capitalize on the void and gained a one-point advantage over their opponents leading 15-14 heading into the second half of the contest.

The second half of the fixture was dominated by the Paltan as they picked up a whopping 28 points in the second half including an all-out upon their in the first ten minutes of the half. 

The Tamil Thaliavas had a great opportunity to get the lead in their favor in the start of the half as their opponents were down to just one man, but Pune changed the flow of the game in their favor with a multipoint raid in their favor from Aslam Inamdar followed by two consecutive super tackles to steal the opportunity away from the South Indian franchise.

The team built on the momentum and pushed the Thalivas on the brink of an all-out after holding on to their opponents for almost ten minutes with just three players on their side of the mat. 

Ajinkya Pawar came in as a substitute to avoid the all-out for his side but was unable to control his footing as he stepped into the lobby giving the Pune-based franchise three points including the two points from the all-out. With ten minutes remaining in the game, the Maharashtrian side had a 13-point advantage over their opponents.

The team banked on the momentum and never gave their opponents to make a comeback into the game as they won by a comfortable twelve-point margin at the draw of the final whistle. Pune now has 60 points to their name in their appearances and will look to consolidate their spot in the playoffs with wins in their remaining two games in the league stages.