Bengaluru Bulls displayed tenacity to come from behind and then see off a late challenge from Patna Pirates to clinch a 37-35 victory in the Pro Kabaddi League at the Kankarbagh Indoor stadium in Patna on Sunday.
Spurred on by a boisterous home crowd, the Pirates put up a fight against the side from Bangalore but failed to break through and come out victorious. The Pirates, playing their last game at home, were desperate to go out on a high but the Bulls refused to yield. The boys from Patna came into the game after two draws in their last two encounters whilst the Bulls had suffered losses in their previous two matches.
As both sides went into the game neither Patna Pirates nor Bengaluru Bulls could claim to be the favourites. In the end it turned out to be a very evenly balanced game. It was the Pirates who came out trying to seize the initiative as Ravi Dalal tried to break through the Bulls defence.
The Bulls, however, were up to the challenge and hit back by making him sit out the game for some time. Patna Pirates did not let up as they kept the attacks coming. This time, star raider Rakesh Kumar mounted an attack of his own. He proved to be successful as he scored.
Furthermore he tore back to his corner before the Bulls could catch him. After that, Sandeep Narwal successfully broke through the Bulls' defence to add to the score. Everything seemed to be going to the Pirates' way, only for Rakesh Kumar, while attempting to defend, hurt himself in the head. He stayed on but he appeared concussed. Nevertheless at this point Patna led 17 to 12.
The Bulls needed something to go their way, otherwise it looked as if the game would slip away. Their skipper Manjit Chillar provided them that something as he went into the Pirates corner and scored. Despite Chillar's attempts to bring the Bulls back into the game the Pirates still led at halftime; but not for long.
In the second half, the Bulls came charging back. Ajay Thakur fought for the Bulls along with skipper Chillar. Soon the Pirates only led by a solitary point. More attacks saw the men from Bangalore go into the lead with the score at 25-24 in their favour. There was more happiness ahead of them as Parmod Singh carried out a raid and scored. More attacks led to an increase in the score which stood at 31-27 as the Bulls had the lead and there were only four minutes left.
Patna needed to produce something brilliant to come back into the game. Sandeep Narwal did come up with a moment of brilliance as he scored a couple of points. Patna, however, were still up against it with only a minute left. Rakesh Kumar, however, refused to give up and somehow after tackling opposition skipper Manjit Chillar scored, but it wasn't enough as Bengaluru Bulls won by two points.
Points Table
1] U Mumba 33 points
2] Jaipur Pink Panthers- 25 points
3 ]Patna Pirates - 23 points
4] Bengaluru Bulls - 21 points
5] Dabang Delhi - 16 points
6] Bengal Warriors - 15 points
7] Telugu Titans - 10 points
8] Puneri Paltan - 8 points
