Gujarat Giants end six-game winless streak with victory over Telugu Titans

A spectacular 16-point performance from all-rounder Rakesh helped the Gujarat Giants end their six-game wait for a win with a 40-22 victory over the Telugu Titans. The Giants’ defence was also terrific, outscoring their Titans counterpart 13-5.

Six minutes in, the game was finely balanced with the Titans holding a slender 6-5 lead, but the Giants then snatched the lead, courtesy of a Super Raid from Rakesh. A few minutes later, the Giants’ young star went in to raid against three defenders and returned with two touch points, leaving the Titans with a solitary man on the mat.

Gujarat’s defence gave Adarsh the bonus before promptly pinning him down to inflict the game’s first All Out to take a 15-8 lead. In the 17^th minute, Rakesh delivered the moment of the half, as he beat three on-rushing Titans defenders with a Dubki before escaping past the midline, adding three points to his team’s total. The raider also completed his Super 10 with this Super Raid.

Titans’ Rajnish responded to the Super Raid with a two-point raid that cut his team’s deficit to seven. After an uneventful final two minutes, the two teams went into halftime with the Giants leading 20-13.

The first nine minutes of the second half were tightly contested and yielded just four points for each team. Then, Rajnish’s perfect Kick on Sumit reduced the Giants to three players on the mat, pegging them on the back foot. But Gujarat’s defence stood firm and picked up three Super Tackles to push their advantage to 11 with under five minutes left in the game.

The Giants’ continued their strong work and embarked on a 5-1 run to leave the Titans with just two men on the mat. Parvesh Bhainswal pinned down Adarsh with a stellar tackle and Rakesh picked up the touch point on the surrender raid to inflict an All Out on the Titans and take a 39-21 lead.

Both teams added another point to their team’s total before the final whistle, as the game finished 40-22. 

Top Performers

Gujarat Giants

Best Raider – Rakesh (16 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Parvesh Bhainswal (5 Tackle Points)

Telugu Titans

Best Raider – Rajnish (11 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Akash Choudhary (3 Tackle Points)