The Patna Pirates fired a warning to the rest of the teams in vivo Pro Kabaddi with a massive 52-24 victory over the Tamil Thalaivas. The Pirates set a new franchise record with 21 tackle points, and their defence single-handedly outscored the Thalaivas in the 15-12 in the second half. With the win, the Pirates climbed to second on the points table and have three games in hand over league-leaders Bengaluru Bulls.
The contest was a cagey affair in the opening five minutes, with both teams matching each other point-for-point as they remained tied on the scoreboard. With the score evenly poised at 8-8, the Pirates kicked into gear and scored four unanswered points to leave the Thalaivas with a solitary man on the mat. Sagar did not attempt a tackle on the raider and surrendered the raid point, which inflicted the game’s first All Out on the Thalaivas.
Prashanth Kumar Rai and Monu added to the Pirates’ total, and their defence continued to starve the Thalaivas’ raiders for points as the teams headed into the break, with Patna leading 21-12.
A tackle point from Monu and a touch point from Sachin reduced the Thalaivas to a solitary man on the mat early in the second half. Mohammadreza Chiyaneh’s sensational Thigh Hold on Bhavani Rajput helped the Pirates inflict an All Out and take a 12-point lead in the contest.
The Pirates’ defence continued to torment the Thalaivas’ raiders, as Mohammadreza, Neeraj Kumar, and Sachin combined to help their team embark on a 6-3 run that saw them take a 16-point lead and reduce the Thalaivas to three players on the mat.
Sagar completed his High 5 with a Super Tackle on Monu, but two more tackle points from the Pirates’ defence and a touch point from Sachin left the Thalaivas with only their Left Corner on the mat. Sagar picked up a bonus before running in a chain tackle which left him immobile and inflicted an All Out on the Thalaivas.
The Pirates remained relentless and scored six unanswered points, with their offence and defence working in tandem, to reduce the Thalaivas to Mohit on the mat. The defender went in to raid and was tackled without taking the bonus, as the Pirates extended their lead to 29 points.
In the final few minutes of the game, the Thalaivas outscored the Pirates 6-4, but Patna’s Neeraj Kumar and Sunil picked up tackle points to join Mohammadreza in scoring a High 5. Skipper Prashanth Kumar Rai went in for the game’s final raid and watched the clock wind down to zero and confirm the Pirates’ mammoth win.
Top Performers
Patna Pirates
Best Raider – Prashanth Kumar Rai (8 Raid Points)
Best Defender – Mohammadreza Chiyaneh (6 Tackle Points)
Tamil Thalaivas
Best Raider – Ajinkya Pawar (5 Raid Points)
Best Defender – Sagar (7 Tackle Points)