Puneri Paltan beat Bengaluru Bulls to go top of Season 9 standings

Puneri Paltan survived a late scare to beat Bengaluru Bulls 35-33 in the second game of the evening at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday. A late surge by the Bulls with Bharat at the centre of it, sparked the stadium to life in one of the best games of vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9.  

Billed as a clash between the Bulls' raiding power against Paltan's strength in defence, the start did not disappoint. Despite a quick start by the Bulls, who matched the Paltan point for point in the early exchanges, Puneri Paltan’s defence gave the impetus to their team a few minutes later. Puneri Paltan inflicted the first All-Out of the game within the first 10 minutes as they surged into a 14-4 lead. 

From there it became a lesson in all-round kabaddi for the Bulls as the Paltan nicked points while raiding as well as in defence. They succeeded in keeping the Bulls' dangerman Bharat off the mat for large stretches of the half to stay in control. With another All-Out looming, a Super Tackle by Mayur Kadam on Aslam Inamdar delayed the inevitable and kept them in the game. Going into halftime, Puneri Paltan were leading by 10 points at 20-10. 

The Bulls kicked off the second half with a Super Tackle with Neeraj Narwal tackling Mohit Goyat to spark some belief and a resurgence in the side. Unfortunately, the tackle proved to be a false dawn, as the Paltan defence ensured that they did not let the Bulls off the hook. And sure enough, the pressure paid off as they inflicted a second All-Out on the Bulls to take a 26-12 lead.

In a massive lead, and with Bharat struggling to score his first point of the game, Puneri Paltan looked to have sealed the match. And then in the final five minutes, the Bulls suddenly came alive. With just over 3 minutes left to play, they inflicted their first All-Out on the Paltan to cut the lead down 

With his first points in the bag, Bharat suddenly found his old form again, and the points kept flowing for him. A 12-point lead was wiped out within two minutes and with 10 seconds to go, the Bulls drew level to turn a stroll into a nailbiter. However, with the last raid of the evening, on a Do-or-Die raid, Inamdar delivered the final blow, against the momentum as the Paltan took the win.  

Top Performers

Bengaluru Bulls

Best Raider - Bharat (9 Raid Points)

Best Defender - Saurabh Nandal (4 Tackle Points)

Puneri Paltan

Best Raider - Akash Shinde (6 Raid Points)

Best Defender - Mohit Goyat (3 Tackle Points)

Where to watch vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9 LIVE?

Catch all the LIVE action from vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9 on the Star Sports Network and LIVE streaming on Disney+Hotstar.