Tamil Thalaivas register nail-biting win against Gujarat Giants

Tamil Thalaivas held a comfortable lead going into the last 7 minutes of the game, but Gujarat Giants put up a strong fight in the last phase of their vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9 match on Sunday. However, Ajinkya Pawar pulled off a couple of magnificent raids in the last minute of the match and helped the Thalaivas clinch a 42-39 victory at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Narender picked up a few bonus points as the Thalaivas took the lead at 6-2 in the 4th minute. Ajinkya Pawar and Arpit Saroha tackled Rakesh as the Thalaivas kept forging ahead. However, Parteek Dahiya helped tackle M. Abishek and kept the Giants in the game at 6-10. The Giants kept fighting and reduced the Thalaivas to two players on the mat. Moments later, the Giants inflicted an All-Out and got within touching distance of the Thalaivas’ score.

Thereafter, Dong Geon Lee pulled off a raid and Arkam Shaikh tackled Ajinkya Pawar as the Giants inched ahead at 17-15 in the 13th minute. However, Ajinkya Pawar and Narender executed raids and helped the Thalaivas retake the lead at 21-18 in the 18th minute. Tamil Thalaivas rode on the momentum and held the lead at 24-20 at the stroke of half-time.

Ajinkya Pawar effected a magnificent raid in the opening minutes of the second half and moments later, the Thalaivas inflicted an All-Out in the 25th minute to attain a stronghold in the match at 30-22. The Thalaivas tackled Lee in the 30th minute and continued to hold a big lead at 35-26. The Giants' Sourav Gulia picked up a couple of tackle points, but they were too far behind at 28-36 in the 33rd minute.

Thereafter, Chandran Ranjit entered the mat and earned a flurry of raid points and got his team close to the Thalaivas' score at 36-38 in the 39th minute. Parteek Dahiya also contributed with a couple of raid points and reduced the Thalaivas to just one player on the mat. However, Ajinkya Pawar scored a raid and bonus point and ensured that the Thalaivas stayed ahead at 41-38. Pawar pulled off another raid in the last second of the match and helped his side win a thriller in the end.

Top Performers

Tamil Thalaivas

Best Raider - Narender (13 Raid Points)

Best Defender - Arpit Saroha (3 Tackle Points)

Gujarat Giants

Best Raider - Parteek Dahiya (10 Raid Points)

Best Defender - Sandeep Kandola (2 Tackle Points)

Where to watch vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9 LIVE?

Catch all the LIVE action from vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9 on the Star Sports Network and LIVE streaming on Disney+Hotstar.