PKL 2023-24: UP Yoddhas go down narrowly to Bengaluru Bulls, Jaipur Pink Panthers collect first win

UP Yoddhas went down narrowly 36-38 to Bengaluru Bulls in a thrilling encounter in the Pro Kabaddi League on Monday. Captain and Dubki King Pardeep Narwal continued his superb form, making history by becoming the first player to surpass the 1600 raid points milestone in the history of PKL. Pardeep Narwal earned the highest points from the game, totaling 13, while Surender Gill and Vijay Malik, earned 8 and 6 points, respectively, for their side. Currently, UP Yoddhas stand third in the league standings with 12 points and a score difference of 40 points, the highest among all teams in the tenth season of the PKL so far. After winning the toss, UP Yoddhas invited the hosts Bengaluru Bulls for the opening raid, and the Yoddhas made full use of this opportunity. Surender Gill opened the scoreboard with a bonus, and yet it was Dubki King, Pardeep Narwal, who, with his excellence, executed an early Super raid, his first of the season, around the third minute, making the score 4-1 in favour of the Yoddhas. However, some unforced errors by UP Yoddhas allowed the hosts to stage a comeback. Not only did they erase the 5-point lead the Yoddhas had, but they also inflicted an All-Out in the eighth minute of the game, with the scorecard reading 13-8 in favor of the Bulls. From here on, both sides displayed a neck-and-neck fight, with the Bengaluru Bulls maintaining their lead with 21-14 score by the end of the first half. The second half began with Gurdeep and Vijay of UP Yoddhas executing a sublime Super tackle, gaining momentum in the game. Within the next few minutes, UP Yoddhas managed to reduce their deficit to just 4 points in the seventh minute of the second half, with the scorecard reading 19-23, still in favour of the hosts. However, Bengaluru Bulls capitalised on unforced errors by UP Yoddhas, inflicting another All-Out on their opponents and racing ahead with a score of 29-21 by the tenth minute of the second half. The game didn’t end there as UP Yoddhas turned the tables in the final minutes of the game, inflicting their first All-Out and reducing the deficit to just two points, with the score at 34-36 and only 40 seconds left on the clock. However, Bengaluru Bulls made no mistakes, and the hosts walked away with a thrilling victory, with the final score reading 38-36. Arjun Deshwal records 700th raid point and propels Jaipur Pink Panthers to first win Arjun Deshwal put up a masterclass to help the Jaipur Pink Panthers register their first victory of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10. The Season 9 champions were trailing at 12-20 at the end of the first half but fought their way back in the second half to clinch the game 35-32 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. Deshwal, who scored 15 points in the match, also recorded his 700th raid points in his PKL career. Both sides played out a neck-to-neck battle in the opening minutes of the match and were locked at 5-5 in the 7th minute. However, Sonu pulled off a SUPER RAID and helped the Giants inch ahead at 8-5 soon after. The Giants rode on the momentum and inflicted an ALL OUT in the 10th minute to extend their lead further. Sonu picked up a raid point and Fazel Atrachali tackled V Ajith Kumar as the Giants continued to forge ahead. The Jaipur Pink Panthers played a defensive game thereafter as the Giants led comfortably at 18-10 in the 18th minute, Moreover, Sonu continued to pick up raid points and helped Gujarat end the first half in a dominant position at 20-12. The Panthers tackled Rohit Gulia in the opening minutes of the second half, but the Giants still held a decent lead at 20-14. Arjun Deshwal effected a couple of brilliant raids and reduced the gap between the two sides in the 27th minute. Moments later, Deshwal pulled off a SUPER RAID and reduced the Giants to one member on the mat. The Panthers tackled Vikash Jaglan and clinched the lead at 26-25 in the 31st minute. Deshwal pulled off another magnificent raid to record his 700th raid point in PKL as the Panthers extended their lead. Sonu picked up a raid point and the Giants tackled Deshwal in the 37th minute to inch closer to the Panthers’ score. However, the team from Jaipur tackled Rakesh and managed to hold on to a slender lead at 31-29. Thereafter, Bhavani Rajput sealed the deal for the Panthers after effecting a SUPER RAID in the dying minutes of the match. The Jaipur side ensured that they stayed in the lead for the rest of the game and walked off the mat as winners.