Puneri Paltan rode past Tamil Thalaivas 29-26 in a nail-biting meeting at the Pro Kabaddi League here on January 7.
Mohammadreza Chiyaneh Shadloui and Gaurav Khatri were the Paltan’s best players, while Thalaivas’ skipper Sagar was their star performer with seven tackle points.
The opening 20 minutes saw an engaging battle between the two sides, as Narender gave the Thalaivas a dream start, ensuring a 'Super Raid' to start the match, while the Paltan were immediately forced onto the back foot.
As the half edged towards close, both teams traded the lead and neither could take control of the proceedings, both adopting a defensive approach. A strategic first half ended with the Paltan leading 12-11.
The Thalaivas started the second half with a 'Super Tackle', as Sagar and Himanshu trapped Mohit Goyat.
However, it could not stop the Paltan from cruising ahead, as Aslam Inamdar got the better of Sagar to inflict an 'All Out', holding a narrow lead at 17-16 in the 24th minute.
The next raid saw Shadloui escape with a 'Super Raid', tagging two defenders and capturing a bonus point.
With Narender unable to score the big points, the Thalaivas banked on their defence for points with a fine tackle from skipper Sagar on Pankaj Mohite saw him complete a 'High 5'.
It was then Shadloui’s turn to do the same, stopping Narender with a rock-solid hold to claim his fifth tackle point in the 28th minute.
The Thalaivas then produced a mind-blowing comeback in the closing stages of the game. Two 'Super Tackles' from M Abishek and Sagar saw the Thalaivas trail by just three points in the 36th minute.
It was followed by a third 'Super Tackle' from Nitesh Kumar in the 38th minute, which reduced the deficit to just a point.
It all boiled down to the last raid, where the Thalaivas were playing with three men, and Paltan had a do-or-die raid.
Aslam went on a pursuit raid and claimed a touch on Nitesh, but the on-field umpires ruled in Thalaivas’ favour and awarded them two points, meaning the scores were tied at 28-28.
However, the Paltan reviewed the decision, and the TV umpire overturned the decision as Aslam and the team wrapped up a nail-biting match by picking up their seventh win on the trot.
