Ernak’s High 5 leads Puneri Paltan to maiden victory over Gujarat Fortunegiants

A stellar defensive effort and a controlled performance from the raiders helped Puneri Paltan defeat Gujarat Fortunegiants by a scoreline of 33-31 at the Patliputra Indoor Stadium on Monday. This was Puneri Paltan’s first victory over Gujarat Fortunegiants in seven attempts and their second win in two days.

Puneri Paltan’s defence got off to a strong start, picking up two tackle points early to put their team ahead, but Gujarat Fortunegiants’ More G B responded with two successful raids to bring parity to the scoreline. Pawan Kadian gave Puneri Paltan a slender lead, but what followed was a blitz of seven straight points from the Gujarat Fortunegiants that reduced Puneri Paltan down to just a solitary man on the mat.

Gulia’s fifth raid point of the night and Ruturaj Koravi’s tackle on Amit in the subsequent raid helped Gujarat Fortunegiants inflict the first All-Out of the night. After reassembling on the mat, Puneri Paltan responded to the All-Out by scoring five straight points, reducing the Gujarat Fortunegiants to just two men on the mat. But a Super Tackle by Ankit helped his team finish the half on a high and with a 17-14 lead.

Pankaj Mohite’s successful raid in the second period, followed by Amit’s tackle left Gujarat Fortunegiants with just one man on the mat and Manjeet picked him up with ease to inflict an All-Out and put Puneri Paltan up by two. A two-point raid from Sachin cut his team’s deficit to one but Puneri Paltan’s Manjeet and Amit responded with back-to-back successful raids for their team to restore their three-point advantage.

Sachin’s two-point raid and Sumit’s tackle on Manjeet levelled the scores and left Puneri Paltan with just three men on the mat. But a Super Tackle by Girish Maruti Ernak was followed by a brilliant two-point raid by Mohit to put Puneri Paltan ahead. Sachin continued his good work in the second half and scored three more raid points, but Kadian’s touch point on More G B followed by Ernak’s fifth tackle point of the night, helped Puneri Paltan maintain their lead.

Puneri Paltan matched their opponent point-for-point over the next three minutes, leaving Gujarat Fortunegiants with just one raid to overcome the deficit. However, Shubham Shinde smartly put in a solo tackle, allowing Gulia only a solitary point. Manjeet’s last empty raid then confirmed victory for his team.

Top Performers:

Puneri Paltan –

Best Raider – Pawan Kadian (6 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Girish Maruti Ernak (6 Tackle Points)

Gujarat Fortunegiants –

Best Raider – Sachin (9 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Sumit (2 Tackle Points)