Tamil Thalaivas earn a tie with last-minute match-saving tackle against U Mumba

A thrilling back-and-forth battle between the Tamil Thalaivas and U Mumba finished with the teams sharing the spoils after a 30-30 tie. U Mumba’s V Ajith Kumar was spectacular against his former side, scoring half of his team’s total. 

The Thalaivas got off to an irresistible start, courtesy of skipper Surjeet Singh and raider Manjeet picking points almost at will. U Mumba had no answer on offence or defence and quickly succumbed to the game’s first All Out and trailed by eight.

The Thalaivas continued to pile the points on the board and extended their lead to 12, but raider V Ajith Kumar breathed some hope into his team with a couple of quick raid points. He then delivered the most significant moment of the match, tagging all four Thalaivas players before willing his hand past the midline to wipe out the entire team and inflict an All Out to cut U Mumba’s deficit down to just two.

The Thalaivas scored the final point of the first half to go into the break leading 17-14.

Tamil Thalaivas started the second half brighter and pushed their lead back up to six points, but U Mumba, through Ajith, soon cut the deficit back down to two and closed in on All Out. Athul MS’ two-point put U Mumba plans on hold, but Ajith and U Mumba’s corner duo ensured they drive home their team’s advantage to inflict an All Out and give them the lead for the first time in the match.

With the game on a knife’s edge, U Mumba answered Tamil Thalaivas point-for-point to maintain their two-point advantage with under a minute left. A crucial raid point from substitute Ajinkya Pawar cut the Thalaivas’ deficit down to one with time left for one Do-or-die from U Mumba.

Ajith, the star of the show, had the opportunity to win the game for his side, but a vital block from Mohit halted his haul towards the midline, and the rest of the Thalaivas’ defence joined in the pin the raider down to ensure the game finished in a tie. Top Performers

U Mumba

Best Raider – V Ajith Kumar (15 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Rahul Sethpal (2 Tackle Points)

Tamil Thalaivas

Best Raider – Athul MS (7 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Sahil Singh (3 Tackle Points)