Telugu Titans end season-long wait for win with victory over Jaipur Pink Panthers

The Telugu Titans snapped their 10-game winless streak with a 35-34 victory over the Jaipur Pink Panthers. Adarsh and Rajnish combined for 16 raid points, while Surinder Singh led the defensive unit with four tackle points.

The first few minutes were fiercely competitive, with both teams scoring four points each to stay level on the scoreboard. A two-point raid from Deepak Hooda, followed by Sandeep Dhull’s stellar Ankle Hold on Rajnish, saw the Pink Panthers build a three-point lead. Amit, Deshwal, and Sahul Kumar added four more unanswered points to their team’s total and left the Titans with a solitary man on the mat.

Rakesh Gowda’s two-point raid kept the All Out at bay, but another touch point from Deshwal reduced the Titans to a solitary man yet again. Gowda picked up a bonus again before being tackled by Dhull, which helped the Pink Panthers inflict the game’s first All Out and take a 16-8 lead.

The Titans tried to claw their way back in the game and did manage to dent the Pink Panthers’ lead slightly, as the teams went into halftime with Jaipur leading 20-13.

The Titans started the second with two unanswered points, courtesy of Rajnish and Surinder Singh, which left the Pink Panthers with just three players on the mat. Adarsh went in to raid and was met with a strong block, but he managed to power past it while tagging the other two defenders en route to the midline for a five-point Super Raid, which levelled the scores at 20-20.

The Pink Panthers responded to the setback with four unanswered points, courtesy of three tackle points from their defence and a raid point from Deshwal, which left the Titans with just three players on the mat. The undermanned defence showcased tremendous discipline to force a do-or-die situation, and then Super Tackled Deshwal to cut their deficit to just two.

Galla Raju and Adarsh picked up a point each to level the scores, but Deshwal’s Super Raid helped the Pink Panthers reclaim the lead. But the Titans weren’t about to throw in the towel, as Rajnish, Raju, and Adarsh added three unanswered points to their team’s total to bring parity to the scoreline.

Adarsh added two more touch points to his tally in two quick raids, which reduced the Pink Panthers to just Hooda on the mat. The skipper’s two-point raid kept the All Out at bay, but a stellar kick by Adarsh on substitute Dharmaraj Cheralathan yet again left Jaipur with a solitary player on the mat.

The Titans’ defence allowed Hooda to pick up a bonus but pinned him down to inflict an All Out on the Pink Panthers and take a two-point lead. Deshwal cut the deficit to one with a touch point on Surinder, but Adarsh responded with a touch point of his own to help the Titans reclaim their two-point advantage.

Surinder smartly pushed Deshwal back towards the midline to ensure the raider could only return with a solitary point. In the game’s final raid, Rajnish went in against a high line defence but managed to cross the baulk line to make the raid legal. He saw the clock wind down to zero before heading back to his side of the mat to confirm the Titans maiden victory of the season.

Top Performers

Telugu Titans

Best Raider – Adarsh T (9 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Surinder Singh (4 Tackle Points)

Jaipur Pink Panthers 

Best Raider – Arjun Deshwal (13 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Vishal (4 Tackle Points)