Bengal Warriors and Puneri Paltan produced an exhilarating draw on Tuesday at the GMCB Indoor Stadium in Gachibowli, Hyderabad, during PKL Season 11. The teams concluded the match tied at 32-32. For the Bengal Warriors, who recorded their second consecutive tie, Sushil Kambrekar emerged as the top scorer with 10 points. Additionally, all eyes were on the iconic Fazel Atrachali, who made history by achieving his 500th tackle point in PKL, the first player ever to reach this milestone in the tournament’s history.
The match started cautiously for both the Bengal Warriors and Puneri Paltan, making it difficult to score early on. However, as the game progressed, Puneri Paltan gained a three-point advantage, spearheaded by Mohit Goyat.
Nonetheless, the Bengal Warriors made a comeback, overtaking Puneri Paltan with strong performances from Praveen Thakur and captain Fazel Atrachali. By the middle of the first half, the Bengal Warriors had taken a narrow 1-point lead in what was proving to be a close contest. But in the closing moments of the half, Akash Shinde and Abinesh Nadarajan ignited their team’s performance, allowing Puneri Paltan to secure a 5-point lead.
With just 2 minutes remaining in the first half, Fazel Atrachali made a tackle on Mohit Goyat, marking his achievement of 500 tackle points in the PKL—a milestone that had never been reached before in the league’s history. Following this, the teams proceeded to halftime with Puneri Paltan in the lead at 15-12.
After the halftime break, Puneri Paltan extended their advantage when Gaurav Khatri executed an All-Out on Nitin Dhankhar, increasing the pressure on Fazel and his teammates. In response, Sushil Kambrekar managed to pull off an all-out against Puneri Paltan, bringing the Bengal Warriors back into contention. At the midpoint of the second half, the Bengal Warriors found themselves trailing by 4 points. With five minutes remaining, Sushil Kambrekar achieved his Super 10, and the Bengal Warriors kept pushing forward.
Bengal Warriors’ comeback continued, and in the last couple of minutes, they managed to take a narrow 1-point lead. However, Puneri Paltan equalized the score at 32-32 in the dying seconds, resulting in a draw to conclude the match.
Meanwhile, the Gujarat Giants are gearing up to take on the Tamil Thalaivas in today’s (30.10.2024) clash at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium. The Giants enter this match following a loss to UP Yoddhas on October 27, where they fell short 29-35, marking their second defeat in Season 11 of the Pro Kabaddi League. In contrast, in their recent game, Tamil Thalaivas played to a 30-30 draw against Jaipur Pink Panthers on October 27.
Throughout the history of the PKL, Gujarat Giants and Tamil Thalaivas have clashed 10 times. The Giants hold the advantage in their head-to-head encounters, securing victories six times, while the Tamil Thalaivas have managed to win on three occasions. One match between these teams ended in a draw. The most recent encounter between the Giants and Tamil Thalaivas resulted in a 42-30 win for the Giants during Season 10.
Currently, the Gujarat Giants sit 10th in the Season 11 points table after 3 matches, having recorded one victory and two defeats, earning them a total of 7 points. On the other hand, the Tamil Thalaivas are positioned third, with 2 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw, accumulating a total of 14 points.
Himanshu Singh has emerged as the leading raider for the Giants this season, amassing 15 raid points over 3 matches. Sombir will primarily handle the defensive responsibilities for the Giants, accumulating 12 tackle points across 3 matches. Jitender Yadav stands out as the leading all-rounder in the team with a total of 5 points so far.
For the Thalaivas, Narender Hoshiyar Kandola has been the top raider, securing 37 raid points over 4 matches. Nitesh Kumar is recognized as the best defender from his team, having earned 13 tackle points, while Himanshu leads as the top all-rounder.
