Tamil Thalaivas vs Telugu Titans: Relive the top 5 PKL clashes in the Southern Derby

The fierce Southern Derby rivalry between Tamil Thalaivas and Telugu Titans has produced some nail-biting matches in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL).

The Titans have featured in all editions of the Pro Kabaddi since the inception of the league in 2014. They have reached the PKL Playoffs in Season 2 and Season 4.

On the other hand, the Thalaivas made their PKL debut in 2017 after the league was expanded with four new teams. The Thalaivas have qualified for the PKL Playoffs only once during Season 9 in 2022.

Meanwhile, the Thalaivas and the Titans have faced each other in 16 matches in the PKL. The Thalaivas have a superior head-to-head record with nine victories, while the Titans have registered six wins. One PKL game between these two sides was tied.
Let’s have a look at five of the most thrilling encounters between Tamil Thalaivas and Telugu Titans in the PKL.
Season 6, Match 72:
Tamil Thalaivas and Telugu Titans were involved in a pulsating encounter in Match 72 of Pro Kabaddi Season 6 at the EKA Arena by TransStadia in Ahmedabad in November 2018. The Ajay Thakur-led Thalaivas started the game strongly as Sukesh Hegde got rid of the Titans’ corners to secure a two-point raid. The Titans captain, Abozar Mohajermighani, soon led from the front with an ankle hold on Athul MS to level the scores at 4-4. Meanwhile, the Thalaivas continued to accumulate points despite attempts at a comeback from the Titans. Later, in the 16th minute, Ajay Thakur pulled off a brilliant three-point Super Raid to extend the Thalaivas’ lead to seven points. The Thalaivas then inflicted their first All-Out of the game, and managed to register an 18-10 lead at half-time. However, the Titans clawed their way back into the contest in the second half and soon reduced the deficit to four points. Despite late efforts from the Titans, the Thalaivas held their nerves to record their first win over the Titans in the PKL with a 27-23 scoreline.

Season 9, Match 60:

Match 60 of Pro Kabaddi Season 6 witnessed another exhilarating clash between Tamil Thalaivas and Telugu Titans at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune in November 2022. Both teams were evenly matched in the first half, before the Titans recorded the first All-Out of the match after Ajinkya Pawar was tackled by Mohsen Maghsoudlou and managed to secure a 16-13 lead heading into the break. The Titans continued their dominance in the second half as Siddharth Desai pulled off a Super Raid to extend their lead. The Sagar Rathee-led Thalaivas’ defence soon found their mojo and later overturned a six-point lead within minutes as they inflicted their own All-Out to take the lead. Later, in the final 90 seconds, the Thalaivas rode on Ajinkya Pawar’s stunning six-point Super Raid to record a hard-fought 39-31 victory in the end.

Season 10, Match 21:

Tamil Thalaivas and Telugu Titans produced another edge-of-the-seat thriller in Match 21 of Pro Kabaddi Season 10 at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru in December 2023. The game was neck and neck in the first half before the Thalaivas inflicted an All-Out just before the break to secure a narrow 20-17 lead at half-time. Later, in the opening minutes of the second half, the Titans soon managed to level the scores at 20-20 courtesy of a brilliant raid pulled off by their captain, Pawan Sehrawat. While the Thalaivas and the Titans were level for most part of the second half, it was the Thalaivas that secured a 32-28 lead with the help of an outstanding double-point raid by Ajinkya Pawar in the 37th minute. However, the Titans soon closed the gap to just one point after they pulled off a Super Tackle on Ajinkya. In the final minute of the game, the Thalaivas brought their A-game to impose another All-Out on the Titans to record a hard-fought 38-36 victory in Bengaluru.

Season 8, Match 2:

Match 2 of Pro Kabaddi Season 8 witnessed an action-packed clash between Tamil Thalaivas and Telugu Titans played at Sheraton Grand in Whitefield, Bengaluru, in December 2021. In the first few minutes, the game was a cagey affair as both sides matched each other blow-for-blow.​​ The Titans soon took control of the game and later inflicted the first All-Out to secure a 12-6 lead. However, star raider Manjeet stole the limelight with a Super Raid, followed by another successful raid to help the Thalaivas impose an All-Out and bring parity to the scoreline. Later, the Thalaivas managed to register a 23-21 lead at the end of the first half. The Thalaivas continued their dominance in the second half and soon built a comfortable nine-point lead. However, the Titans skipper Siddharth Desai led from the front with some spectacular raiding and produced a sensational comeback with a 10-point blitz to manage a two-point lead with under two minutes left in the game. While the Surjeet Singh-led Thalaivas bounced back with three straight points to secure a one-point lead, the Titans' defence later pinned down Manjeet in the final raid of the game to record a thrilling 40-40 tie.

Season 11, Match 38:

Tamil Thalaivas and Telugu Titans were involved in an adrenaline-charged encounter in Match 38 of Pro Kabaddi Season 11 at the GMCB Indoor Stadium in Gachibowli, Hyderabad, in November 2024. It was a watchful start from both sides before the Titans rode on captain Pawan Sehrawat’s raiding masterclass to inflict an All-Out on the Thalaivas to secure a four-point lead. The Thalaivas soon reduced the deficit courtesy of a Super Raid by their star raider, Sachin Tanwar. However, Pawan Sehrawat and Ashish Narwal continued their dominance on the mat for the Titans to guide them to a 20-17 lead after the first 20 minutes. Later, in the second half, the Thalaivas bounced back as they imposed an All-Out on the Titans to level the scores at 25-25. Meanwhile, Pawan Sehrawat once again led from the front with a Super Raid to put the Titans ahead by 3 points. Even though Sachin managed to reduce the deficit with a two-point raid of his own, the Titans rode on Ankit’s superb tackle on Sachin to register a nail-biting 34-33 win in Hyderabad.

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