The Jaipur Pink Panthers delivered a superb team performance to get over the line against the Gujarat Giants, beating them 32-24 in Season 11 of the Pro Kabaddi League at the Noida Indoor Stadium here on Friday. The raiding trio of Arjun Deshwal, Neeraj Narwal, and Shrikant Jadhav, combined with Reza Mirbagheri’s defensive prowess secured the win for the two-time champions, despite a Super 10 from Gujarat Giants’ Guman Singh.
The Jaipur Pink Panthers’ captain Arjun Deshwal, who scored nine points in the game, also became the third raider to breach the 100-point mark so far in PKL Season 11.
The match got off to an intriguing start as Jaipur Pink Panthers and Gujarat Giants were fairly cautious to begin with. It was the two captains, Arjun Deshwal and Guman Singh, who were going toe-to-toe in the early exchanges. In an evenly matched contest, it was Guman Singh’s Do-or-Die Raid that kept the score at seven points each after the first quarter of the game.
The Gujarat Giants captain was running the show for his side, scoring six out of their twelve points in the first half. Despite Arjun Deshwal being relatively quiet, the Jaipur Pink Panthers held on to a slender lead courtesy of Neeraj Narwal and Shrikant Jadhav contributing with some raids. It was a significant milestone moment for Neeraj Narwal, who amassed 200 raid points in the league.
Reza Mirbagheri made his presence felt on the defensive end for the Jaipur Pink Panthers, who kept their noses in front with a one-point lead, with the scoreline at 13-12 at the end of the first half in this closely contested battle.
The second half started similarly before Rakesh executed a Do-or-Die Raid for the Gujarat Giants, levelling the score in the opening exchanges of the second half. The Jaipur Pink Panthers got the biggest lead of the game, creating a three-point gap as Arjun Deshwal and Neeraj Narwal kept up the good work on the attacking end.
Jaipur Pink Panthers eventually grabbed the bull by its horn in a manic three-minute passage, inflicting an All Out on the Gujarat Giants. That gave the two-time champions a nine-point lead and something to hold on to in the final phase of the game. Guman Singh did his best to try and close the gap for a comeback, but the Jaipur Pink Panthers weren’t going to throw their lead away.
Also Read: PKL: All-round Jaipur Pink Panthers clinch 32-24 win over Gujarat Giants
Arjun Deshwal and Neeraj Narwal kept chipping away as the Jaipur Pink Panthers ran down the clock, closing any window of a potential comeback for the Gujarat Giants. Guman Singh did complete his Super 10, but it wasn’t enough for his team as the Jaipur Pink Panthers emerged victorious by a margin of eight points.
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