Puneri Paltan won their sixth consecutive game, defeating the U.P. Yoddhas 40-31 in front of their home fans at the Noida Indoor Stadium. Mohammadreza Chiyaneh’s outstanding defensive skills earned him 7 points, while skipper Aslam Inamdar scored 11 to retain his club atop the standings. Puneri Paltan extended their lead at the top of the Pro Kabaddi Season 10 points table with consecutive victories during the Noida leg. The Pune team has 41 points after nine games. Meanwhile, Gujarat Giants and Jaipur Pink Panthers are second and third in the standings with 34 and 33 points respectively.
In an electrifying, high-scoring first half, it was the Paltans who got out to a faster start, not only logging quick raid points but also ensuring U.P. Yoddhas record-breaking raider Pardeep Narwal did not log any during the opening ten minutes of the game. It was a high-energy, high-risk bet started by Chiyaneh and Inamdar that paid off. Paltan scored the game’s first ALL-OUT in the first five minutes to build a 10-4 lead.
The setback jolted the U.P. Yoddhas awake, and despite Narwal’s inability to log points, they crept back into the game. As it was, it was just what Narwal needed, as he scored his first two points of the game in rapid succession in the final five minutes of the first half, before demonstrating extraordinary strength to inflict an ALL-OUT on the Paltan and bring the score to 20-18.
The Paltan did not change their tactics due to a setback in the game, and they maintained their game plan and led throughout the second half. The U.P. Yoddhas kept them on their toes in a back-and-forth spell, and despite a drop in numbers, stayed within two points. A Super Tackle with five minutes left converted the game into a nailbiter, but the Paltans killed off the game immediately. They imposed a second ALL-OUT with less than two minutes remaining to establish a seven-point advantage, and then Akash Shinde topped it off with a SUPER RAID to seal the game 40-31.
Meanwhile, defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers defeated Haryana Steelers 45-34 thanks to Arjun Deshwal’s raiding excellence. Deshwal (14 raid points), Reza Mirbagheri (7 tackle points), and Ankush (5 tackle points) led the way for the Jaipur Pink Panthers, while Chandran Ranjit (11 raid points) and Mohit Nandal (5 tackle points) led the way for the Haryana Steelers.
