Patna Pirates move closer to playoff berth; win exciting contest against Puneri Paltan

Puneri Paltan and Patna Pirates played out an absolute thriller in the Badminton Hall at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune in PKL Season 11 on Monday. Patna Pirates won 37-32 with Devank getting 11 points, Ayan adding 9 and Shubham Shinde registering a High 5. For Puneri Paltan, who put in a superb fight on the day, Abinesh Nadarajan scored 7 points and Aman registered a High 5.

Both sides started off with 2 tackle points each in the early exchanges, which meant Patna Pirates’ raiders Devank and Ayan were having a tough start to the game. Pankaj Mohite scored the first raid point of the game in the fifth minute, which gave Puneri Paltan a slender lead.

Abinesh Nadarajan, Aman and Sanket Sawant were holding fort in defence for Puneri Paltan as they made life very difficult for Patna Pirates’ raiders. Midway through the first half though, both sides were on level terms with Patna Pirates starting to make their presence felt.

Ayan was leading the charge for Patna Pirates, but Puneri Paltan’s Akash Shinde and Pankaj Mohite were ensuring that they would stay within touching distance. With about five minutes to go, Abinesh Nadarajan then put in a tackle on Devank and the defending champions once again got their noses out in front. The first half ended with Puneri Paltan leading 16-13.

Patna Pirates started off the second half with an All-Out on Puneri Paltan. And right after Devank wiped out the deficit and both sides were back on level terms. The three-time champions had started off the second half quite strongly and Devank was looking menacing. Close to the half-hour mark, Aman registered his High 5 for Puneri Paltan, but Devank then landed an All-Out as Patna Pirates picked up a 5-point lead.

In the final phase of play, Puneri Paltan tried their best to mount a comeback but Patna Pirates were just about keeping them at bay. With five minutes to go, the deficit was down to 3 points. Eventually, Patna Pirates managed to close the door on the comeback and clinched the contest in the final couple of minutes.

Top Performers

Patna Pirates

Best Raider - Devank (11 raid points)

Best Defender - Shubham Shinde (5 tackle points)

Puneri Paltan

Best Raider - Abinesh Nadarajan (6 raid points)

Best Defender - Aman (6 tackle points)

Where to watch Pro Kabaddi Season 11 LIVE?

Catch all the LIVE action from Pro Kabaddi Season 11 on the Star Sports Network and on Disney+ hotstar.