vivo Pro Kabaddi League Season 8: Pirates defeat Bulls to maintain lead at the top

A sensational effort from the defence, coupled with Monu Goyat and Sachin’s clutch raiding, led Patna Pirates to a 36-34 win over the Bengaluru Bulls. With this win, the Pirates took an unassailable 15-point lead at the top of the points table.

The Bulls got off to a strong start and raced to a 3-0 lead, but a 4-1 run from the Pirates brought parity to the scoreline. Patna’s defence helped their side seize the advantage, as they reduced Bengaluru to just two players on the mat.

However, the Bulls’ defence held fort and managed two Super Tackles in quick succession to help their side reclaim the lead. But Mohammadreza Chiyaneh’s assured tackle on Chandran Ranjit, followed by a Self Out from Saurabh Nandal, reduced Bengaluru to two men on the mat.

The Pirates’ defence pinned down Bharat and left no choice for the final man other than surrendering a raid point, as Patna inflicted the game’s first All Out to take a 14-12 lead. The Pirates continued to pile the points on the scoreboard and finished the half with a 5-2 surge to go into the break leading 19-14.

The Bulls started the second half brighter and embarked on a 5-2 run of their own to cut the deficit to three points. Bharat added two more points to his team’s tally but was Super Tackled in his subsequent raid attempt as the Pirates continued to stay ahead on the scoreboard.

Mahender Singh’s strong Ankle Hold on Sachin, followed by Chandran Ranjit’s two-point raid, pegged the Pirates on the backfoot. But their defence came through again, as Sajin Super Tackled Pawan Sehrawat, before Sunil completed his High 5 with a Thigh Hold on Bharat, as Patna extended their lead to five points.

With his team in a five-point hole, Sehrawat shouldered the responsibility of dragging them out of it. He first escaped a tackle attempt from Mohammadreza Chiyaneh and sent the Iranian to the bench before delivering a Super Raid that reduced the Pirates to a solitary man on the mat.

An assured Dash sent Monu Goyat out of bounds before he could slide his hand across the midline, which helped the Bulls inflict an All Out and level the scores. With the game evenly poised, Sachin went in to raid and forced an error out of Jaideep to give the Pirates the lead. Sehrawat went in looking for the equalising point, but the Bengaluru skipper was swarmed by Patna’s defence, which pushed their lead up to two.

In the game’s final raid, Sachin saw the clock wind down to zero before making his raid legal by crossing the baulk line and returning to his team’s half to confirm a seventh straight win for the Pirates.

Top Performers

Patna Pirates

Best Raider – Monu Goyat (9 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Sunil (6 Tackle Points)

Bengaluru Bulls

Best Raider – Chandran Ranjit (6 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Saurabh Nandal (4 Tackle Points)