vivo Pro Kabaddi League Season 8: Jaipur’s all-round show helps them defeat Gujarat

A Super 10 from all-rounder Deepak Hooda and 15 tackle points saw Jaipur Pink Panthers beat the Gujarat Giants 36-31 in Match 100 of the VIVO Pro Kabaddi League Season 8. With this win, Jaipur climbed to fifth on the points table.

The Pink Panthers got off to a hot start and built a three-point lead, courtesy of two points from Hooda and the defence and a touch point from Arjun Deshwal. The Giants then embarked on a 4-1 run, with Ajay Kumar picking us three of those to bring parity to the scoreline.

Jaipur seized the advantage again with a 5-2 run, but a Super Tackle saw the Giants cut the deficit back to one. However, it proved to be only momentary respite, as Deepak Singh’s stellar Block against Ajay Kumar and a touch point from Deshwal reduced the Giants to two men on the mat.

Jaipur’s defence sat deep and allowed the raider to pick up the bonus before pinning him down to leave the Giants with only Parvesh Bhainswal on the mat. The Cover defender surrendered a touch point which inflicted an All Out on Gujarat and gave Jaipur a six-point lead.

Both teams added another point to their total as they headed into the break, with the Pink Panthers leading 20-14.

Jaipur extended their lead to 10 with a 5-1 run early in the second half and reduced Gujarat to two players on the mat. But two Super Tackles from their defence and a successful bonus attempt from Rakesh Narwal saw the Giants claw their way back into the game.

Two raid points from Pardeep Kumar and a sensational Ankle Hold from Hadi Oshtorak saw the Giants cut the deficit to just two points. Another touch point from Pardeep left the Pink Panthers with just a solitary man on the mat, and the Giants’ defence took care of business in the subsequent raid to inflict an All Out on Jaipur to level the scores.

With the game finely balanced, Deshwal helped the Pink Panthers pull ahead with two touch points, and the defence also stepped up with two tackle points to give Jaipur a four-point lead. The Pink Panthers managed the clock well and led by three with time left for only one more raid.

Hooda went in, in a Do-or-die situation and could have seen the raid clock wind down to zero and surrendered a point. Instead, the veteran all-rounder finished the game in style and picked up two touch points to complete his Super 10.

Top Performers

Jaipur Pink Panthers

Best Raider – Deepak Hooda (10 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Sandeep Dhull (4 Tackle Points)

Gujarat Giants

Best Raider – Rakesh Narwal (6 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Parvesh Bhainswal (4 Tackle Points)