Bengal Warriors beat Puneri Paltan 25-19 in the Inter Zone Wildcard Match of the Pro Kabaddi League on Friday. Bengal Warriors’ defence laid the foundation for the victory, scoring 13 tackle points.
Shrikant Tewthia scored six tackle points for Bengal Warriors while Maninder Singh scored five raid points. Deepak Hooda scored seven points for Puneri Paltan but didn’t get enough support from his fellow raiders.
Bengal Warriors are top of the table in Zone B with 69 points from 20 matches. Puneri Paltan are third in Zone A with 58 points from 15 matches.
Bengal Warriors were first out of the blocks, leading 2-0 after two minutes. Puneri Paltan got back on level terms, and it was 2-2 after five minutes. Both teams were cautious in their approach and it was a low scoring first half.
With 15 minutes gone, both teams were tied at 5-5. Both teams’ raiders struggled to get going, managing just one raid point apiece.
Maninder Singh scored Bengal’s second raid point in the 16th minute to give them 7-5 lead. The defence of both teams looked strong in the first half as Bengal Warriors went into the break leading 9-8.
{{/usCountry}}Maninder Singh scored Bengal’s second raid point in the 16th minute to give them 7-5 lead. The defence of both teams looked strong in the first half as Bengal Warriors went into the break leading 9-8.
{{/usCountry}}The second half saw a slow start from both teams. Puneri Paltan went ahead in the 27th minute, leading 12-10. Bengal Warriors forced a super tackle in the same minute to level the match at 12-12. Shrikant Tewthia got a high five in the 30th minute and Bengal Warriors took the lead up to 14-12.
It was a cagey affair as both teams played on do-or-die raids. Puneri Paltan leveled the match at 15-15 in the 34th minute and the match was evenly poised. Vinod Kumar scored with a two-point raid in the 36th minute to give Bengal Warriors an 18-15 lead.
Maninder Singh scored with a two-point raid in the 37th minute as Bengal Warriors inflicted an all out to lead 23-15. Puneri Paltan needed a superlative effort from their players in the last two minutes to cover a seven-point deficit. Bengal Warriors kept their nerve in the final two minutes and won 25-19.