Sachin on a raid for Tamil Thalaivas in their PKL 2024 match against the Puneri Paltan at the GMCB Indoor Stadium, in Gachibowli, Hyderabad on Wednesday. (PHOTO: PKL)
PKL 2024: Wednesday saw significant results in the Pro Kabaddi League with U Mumba winning their first match of the ongoing PKL season while in an earlier match, the Tamil Thalaivas ended the Puneri Paltan’s 14-match unbeaten streak, which actually stretched back to PKL season 10.
The Puneri Paltan are still on top of the PKL standings with 11 points while three teams — Jaipur Pink Panthers, UP Yoddhas and Tamil Thalaivas — are in hot pursuit with 10 points.
How U Mumba beat Gujarat Giants
For the U Mumba side to take down the Gujarat Giants, the team needed Amirmohammad Zafardanesh to chip in with 10 points as the team won the PKL contest with a scoreline which read 33-27.
Guman Singh, who scored three points on the day for the Gujarat Giants, was co-incidentally with the U Mumba side last year.
From the start, the contest was a close one, with neither side willing to concede an inch to the other. For U Mumba, it was Manjeet who led the charge, and at the halfway stage of the first half, they held a three-point lead. Himanshu then landed a Super Tackle for the Gujarat Giants to bring the contest back to level terms. At the end of the first half, U Mumba led 14-13.
Early in the second half, Amirmohammad Zafardanesh inflicted an all out on the Gujarat Giants, and that gave them the early momentum. However, the Gujarat Giants weren’t throwing in the towel and were looking to mount a comeback. As the second half wore on, the U Mumba side managed to keep their opponents at bay. With just under 10 minutes to go, the Gujarat Giants trailed by 5 points. In the final phase of play, Amirmohammad Zafardanesh reached the 10-point mark for the game, as the U Mumba side began to consolidate on their lead. The Gujarat Giants were throwing the kitchen sink at the opposition, but it wasn’t to be. Eventually, U Mumba were victorious.
How Tamil Thalaivas beat Puneri Paltan
The Tamil Thalaivas, meanwhile, won their battle against Pune with a 35-30 scoreline. The Tamil Thalaivas had the better of the early exchanges, as they raced into a five-point lead within the first five minutes of the contest. That’s when Mohit Goyat gained his team a bunch of points, helping the Puneri Paltan roar back into the contest.
In the final phase of the half, Sachin inflicted an all out on the Puneri Paltan, which helped the Tamil Thalaivas extend their lead. Sachin and Narender Kandola were leading from the front for the Tamil Thalaivas, while it was Mohit Goyat, who was picking up the majority of the points for the defending champions. At the half-time break, the Tamil Thalaivas led the contest with a scoreline of 19-15.
