Patna Pirates rode on a stupendous second half performance by Pardeep Narwal to beat Bengal Warriors 33-27. Narwal failed to score for the first 27 minutes but came out all guns blazing in the last 10 minutes to score nine points to lead his team to another victory.

Patna Pirates to top of the league with 41 points from 10 games and still remain the team to beat. Bengal Warriors, meanwhile, remained bottom of the table with 17 points from 10 games and their chances of making top four fading with each passing game.

Surjeet Narwal and Jang Kun Lee scored with two raids in the first two minutes as Bengal Warriors led 2-0. Rajesh Mondal who has become a do-or-die specialist for Patna opened their account in the fourth minute. Bengal Warriors led 3-2 after six minutes as Patna Pirates star man Pardeep Narwal struggled to make a successful raid. Patna Pirates raiders stumbled in the first half as Bengal Warriors led 6-3 after 10 minutes.


Surjeet Singh, however, made an excellent raid in the 13th minute to score two points as Patna Pirates trailed 6-7. It was a close contest in the first half as Bengal Warriors held a slender one-point lead after 15 minutes. Bengal Warriors looked the better side in the first half but it was tied at 10-10 after 18 minutes. Pardeep Narwal failed to score in the first half as Bengal Warriors led 12-10 at the end of first half.

The second half saw both teams begin cautiously as Bengal Warriors maintained a two-point lead after 23 minutes. It was 15-13 in favour of Bengal Warriors after 26 minutes as both sides eked out bonus points. Pardeep Narwal finally opened his account in 28th minute and scored two quick points to level the game at 16-16 after 29 minutes. Pardeep Narwal upped ante with a super raid in 32nd minute as Patna Pirates led 21-18. His hot streak continued as he scored two more points and in the process help Patna inflict first all out as they led 25-19 after 33 minutes.

The momentum was with Patna Pirates as they led 27-21 after 35 minutes. Bengal Warriors were stunned by Pardeep Narwal’s onslaught and couldn’t find answers as they trailed 22-29 with three minutes to go. Jang Kun Lee scored two points in the 39th minute to spark hopes of a comeback as Bengal Warriors trailed 26-29. Patna Pirates forced two super tackles in the 40th minute to ensure their win as they prevailed 33-27.