Raid Machine Rahul Chaudhari inspired Telugu Titans to their first win of the season as they defeated Tamil Thalaivas 33-28 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday. Chaudhari, who scored 9 raid points, was ably supported by Mohsen Maghsoudlou (7 points) as the duo made sure the Titans stayed ahead for most part of the game.

Athul MS and One-Man-Army Manjeet Chhillar got the Thalaivas an early 2-point lead but the Titans struck back through Nilesh Salunke and Rahul Chaudhari.

Ajay Thakur and Athul kept their team ahead by a narrow margin till the 11th minute but once Mohsen Maghsoudlou levelled the scores at 8-8 the Thalaivas lost their advantage and were never able to pull ahead till the end.

Maghsoudlou gets Titans ahead

Maghsoudlou showed great ability in both offence and defence to help the Titans inflict their first All-Out of the game on the Thalaivas in the 17th minute and gain a 16-9 lead. Thakur, though, kept up the attack and the first half ended with the Titans having a 6-point lead.

The Tamil Thalaivas stepped up their defence in the second half and managed to bring down the lead to 5 points. But, with Vishal Bhardwaj and Abozar Mohajermighani in their Corners, the Titans were equal to the task. They kept overcoming Thakur’s efforts at a comeback while Chaudhari kept chipping away at the Thalaivas’ defence.

The teams kept trading points but the lead which the Titans had taken gave them an advantage in the closing minutes. Amit Hooda stood strong in the Thalaivas defence and reached a High 5 with a masterful double Ankle Hold to Super Tackle Rahul Chaudhari towards the end of the game. But his efforts weren’t enough for the team from Chennai as Telugu Titans managed to clinch the match by 5 points.