Jaideep’s defensive masterclass helps Patna Pirates overcome Tamil Thalaivas

Patna Pirates picked up their second win of VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 7 after overcoming Tamil Thalaivas 24-23 at the DOME@NSCI SVP Stadium in Mumbai on Monday. Both defences dominated proceedings, but Patna Pirates’ Jaideep shone the brightest with seven tackle points, including two Super Tackles.

Tamil Thalaivas were quick off the blocks and raced into a 4-0 lead courtesy of a couple of successful tackles by Manjeet Chhillar as well as successful raids by Ajay ‘Iceman’ Thakur and Rahul ‘Showman’ Chaudhari.

A Super Tackle by Jaideep, though, got the scoreboard ticking for Patna Pirates. A two-point raid in a Do-or-Die situation by Mohammad Esmaeil Maghsoudlou then tied the contest at 4-4. However, neither team could dominate the other and found it difficult to open up a lead, with both defences on top of their game.

The final 10 minutes of the first half saw both sides limiting risks and choosing to score points from Do-or-Die situations. A few successful Do-or-Die raids by Tamil Thalaivas skipper Thakur looked like it had given them a slight edge towards the end of the first half. A Super Tackle by Patna Pirates’ Hadi Oshtorak and two successful raids by substitute Monu, though, ensured that nothing could separate the teams at the break with the scores tied at 11-11.

Both teams’ first points of the second period came from successful tackles in Do-or-Die situations. That being said, while Tamil Thalaivas’ tackle fetched them just one point, Patna Pirates’ Jaideep produced a Super Tackle to give his team a one-point lead early in the second period.

Patna Pirates looked as though they were beginning to open up a lead towards the half-hour mark after some robust tackling and raiding by Monu. A two-point raid by Chaudhari, however, dragged Tamil Thalaivas back into the game again.

The topsy-turvy affair continued as Monu executed a crucial Super Tackle to give Patna Pirates a two-point lead heading into the last quarter of the game. The three-time champions took a two-point lead into the last five minutes and doubled it to four a minute later thanks to yet another successful tackle by Jaideep, and Pardeep ‘Record-Breaker’ Narwal’s first raid point of the night, which sent Manjeet to the bench. The final few minutes saw Patna Pirates put in a disciplined performance and protect their lead to eventually register a one-point victory.

Top Performers:

Tamil Thalaivas –

Best Raider – Rahul Chaudhari (5 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Manjeet Chhillar (4 Tackle Points)

Patna Pirates –

Best Raider – Monu (3 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Jaideep (7 Tackle Points)