PKL 2023-24: Jaipur Pink Panthers snap Puneri Paltan's winning run in clash at the top

The Jaipur Pink Panthers ended the Puneri Paltan’s eight-match winning streak after defeating them 36-34 in Jaipur on Saturday. The Puneri Paltan held a huge lead at 20-11 at the end of the first half, but the Panthers fought back and clinched a gripping victory in the end. Arjun Deshwal was the star for the Panthers with 16 points on the night. Arjun Deshwal picked up a couple of raid points as the Panthers clinched the lead at 3-2 in the third minute. The Puneri Paltan levelled the scores at 5-5, but Deshwal kept picking up raid points to propel the Panthers to a three-point lead at 9-6 in the 9th minute. However, the Puneri Paltan defence unit stood tall and kept its team in the game at 8-10 in the 12th minute. Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh upped his game as the Pune side levelled the scores once again at 11-11 in the 16th minute. Pankaj Mohite pulled off a magnificent double-point raid in the 18th minute and helped the Puneri Paltan inch ahead at 14-11. Moments later, the Pune side inflicted an ALL OUT to extend their lead further. The Puneri Paltan led comfortably at 20-11 at the end of the first half. The Panthers tackled Mohit Goyat in the opening minutes of the second half, but Shadloui picked up tackle points from the other end and kept Pune in the lead at 21-13 in the 25th minute. However, Arjun Deshwal pulled off a SUPER RAID as the Panthers reduced the Pune side to just one member in the 29th minute. Moments later, the home side inflicted an ALL OUT and narrowed the gap between the two sides at 22-23. The Panthers rode on the momentum and clinched the lead at 24-23 soon after. Bhavani Rajput effected a brilliant raid to take out Shadloui as the Panthers attained a decent lead at 28-23 in the 34th minute. Moments later, Deshwal picked up a raid point and reduced the Pune side to just one member on the mat. The Panthers inflicted another ALL OUT soon after and led comfortably at 32-26. However, the Puneri Paltan fought back and reduced the Panthers to just one member on the mat in the dying seconds of the game. But Bhavani Rajput held his nerve on the final raid of the game and took his team to a thrilling victory. Bengal Warriors inflict fifth successive loss on UP Yoddhas The Bengal Warriors subjected the UP Yoddhas to their fifth defeat in a row, beating them 42-37. Despite Pardeep Narwal’s 16 points, the UP Yoddhas were outdone by the all-round teamwork of the Bengal Warriors. Maninder Singh (14 points) and Nitin Kumar (10 points) were the best performers for their team on a winning night. The contest was billed as a raider’s paradise and did not disappoint early on, with Maninder Singh in particular keen to stamp his authority on the game. The Bengal Warriors’ raider grabbed 9 points in the first half alone, and was not tackled once. And yet he wasn’t the only one making hay. At the other end, his counterpart Pardeep Narwal took 7 points in the half, to keep his side in the game. The difference really was the fact that the Warriors had other raiders chipping in with points, and a defence that logged 4 points to the UP Yoddhas one. It helped the Bengal Warriors inflict the first ALL OUT of the game and they went into the break holding a comfortable lead. The UP Yoddhas kicked off the second half at a furious pace and within three minutes had inflicted an ALL OUT of their own to reduce the deficit to 20-24. The Warriors were in no mood to capitulate though, and slowly picked up the pieces to rebuild their lead. Narwal was working overtime to reduce the deficit almost on his own, with the rest of the team failing to back up his performance. His relentless raiding though helped the UP Yoddhas inflict a second ALL OUT, reducing the deficit to three points with under 2 minutes to play. In the end though, the Warriors held their nerve and smartly played down the clock to take a well deserved victory.