New Delhi: Jaipur Pink Panthers registered back-to-back wins to start their Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2024-25 campaign on a high note. On Tuesday, the Arjun Deshwal-led side outplayed Telugu Titans in the Match 9 of the season at the GMCB Indoor Stadium in Gachibowli, Hyderabad.
Deshwal once again led from the front to power the Pinka Panthers to a commanding win over Pawan Sehrawat and his men with a margin of 52-22, a lop-sided contest despite stars present in both camps.
Both Deshwal and Sehrawat opened the scoresheet tally for their respective teams. The two nimble-witted raiders were busy accounting for points before Telugu Titans found a way to keep their foot forward with Vijay Malik and Ashish Narwal stepping up in their roles. A super raid from Abhijeet Malik was all it took the Pink Panthers to jostle ahead.
Deshwal extended the lead as he completed his successive Super 10s to make a statement that he will lead by example. Though Jaipur players walked into the first half with the a slim lead of 18-13, the two-time PKL winners mauled the Titans in the second half, leaving no room for errors.
The Pink Panthers were leading by 16 points just 10 minutes before the clock to tick off. Reza Mirbagheri inflicted an All Out on the Telugu Titans midway through the second half which further extended the Jaipur Pink Panthers’ lead. A couple of more ‘All Outs’ crushed the hopes for Pawan and his men to claw their way back into the game.
Bharat Hooda makes a point against former team
A season after parting ways with the Bengaluru Bulls, Bharat Hooda was here to remind them of his prolific scoring game. He picked 14 points out of his 15 raids to complement UP Yoddhas captain Surender Gill, who plundered 17 points. Defender Sumit was on a phenomenal run throughout the match, accumulating seven tackles, including two super tackles as the Yoddhas trounced the Bengaluru outfit by a heavy margin of 57-36.
Bengauru have now suffered three defeats in a row in the start of the PKL season 11. The Pardeep Narwal-led side will need to ponder a lot behind the scenes to turnaround their campaign from this slump.
(With inputs from Agencies)
