Ajinkya Pawar and Manjeet’s majestic performances guide Tamil Thalaivas to big win over Bengaluru Bulls

A Super 10 from Ajinkya Pawar and eight points from Manjeet saw the Tamil Thalaivas beat the Bengaluru Bulls 42-24. The Thalaivas’ defence scored 17 tackle points in a terrific all-round display from the team. With this win, the Thalaivas snapped their five-game winless streak and cut the gap to the top six to just two points.

The Bulls were in the ascendancy early and raced to a 6-2 lead, with Chandran Ranjit, Pawan Sehrawat and the defence scoring two each. Pawar’s nifty Toe Touch on Sehrawat commenced a 6-0 run for the Thalaivas, which saw them snatch the lead and leave the Bulls with a solitary man on the mat. Skipper Surjeet Singh Dashed Deepak Narwal off the mat to inflict the game’s first All Out and help his side take an 11-6 lead.

Post the reset, the Thalaivas’ defence sent Sehrawat to the bench, and Pawar added another touch point to his and the team’s tally to extend their lead to seven. Sahil’s well-timed tackle on Ranjit and two more touch points from Pawar and Manjeet saw the Thalaivas reduce the Bulls to a solitary man on the mat. Deepak, the lone man, was pinned down by the defence before he could pick up the bonus, as the Thalaivas inflicted another All Out and extended their lead to 14.

The Bulls managed to end the Thalaivas’ 18-0 run and finished the half on a 2-1 run to go into the break trailing 21-8.

The opening few minutes of the second half were evenly contested, with both teams adding four points to their total. A two-point raid from Manjeet kickstarted a 6-0 run for the Thalaivas, which left the Bulls with a solitary man on the mat. The lone man surrendered the raid point to Manjeet, as the Thalaivas inflicted another All Out on the Bulls to take a 22-point lead.

Post the reset, Bengaluru embarked on a 7-2 run, with Bharat, Sehrawat and the defence contributing, which cut the Thalaivas’ lead to 17. But Tamil responded with a 4-1 run of their own to push their lead back up to 20 and put the game beyond the Bulls’ reach.

Pawar picked up a couple of points in the game’s final two minutes to complete his Super 10. But he was Super Tackled by Sehrawat in his last raid attempt of the night, as the game finished 42-24 in the Thalaivas’ favour.

Top Performers

Tamil Thalaivas

Best Raider – Ajinkya Pawar (10 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Sagar (5 Tackle Points)

Bengaluru Bulls

Best Raider – Pawan Sehrawat (7 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Pawan Sehrawat (2 Tackle Points)