New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS): Having already qualified for the playoffs, Puneri Paltan were in great form as they secured a 40-31 win over the Bengaluru Bulls at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday.
Despite a late comeback by the Bengaluru Bulls, skipper Aslam Inamdar’s top performance was supported by his teammates as they continued their fight for one of the two places in the semifinals.
Puneri Paltan were the main aggressors in the first half, taking a decisive lead early in the game. Bengaluru Bulls, chasing a place in the playoffs, saw Sushil unable to convert his do-or-die raid. Skipper Aslam Inamdar was again the main aggressor for his team, although Mohit Goyat supported him well.
As the first half was coming to an end, the Bengaluru Bulls worked hard to reduce the deficit between the two teams. Sushil made the most of a do-or-die raid before Parteek trapped Aslam Inamdar during another do-or-die raid. Raider Mohit Goyat then turned defender to earn his team a crucial two points with a super tackle to get Sushil off the mat as the scores read heading into the 13-18 at the halftime break.
The Bengaluru Bulls could not carry their momentum from the end of the first half as Akash Shinde helped his team survive with a super tackle against Vikash Kandola.
Meanwhile, the Bengaluru Bulls raider Sushil was unsuccessful in his do-or-die raid as the Bengaluru Bulls looked for a way back into the game.
Skipper Aslam Inamdar inched closer to a super-10 after a successful raid got the Bengaluru Bulls all out in the 14th minute. The Puneri Paltan raiders turned defenders as Mohit Goyat and Akash Shinde found themselves among the tackle points. This took the team to 33 points as compared to the Bengaluru Bulls’ 15 ahead of the Strategic Timeout in the second half.
Bharat was substituted onto the mat in the second half and got some crucial points, but it was not enough as the lead taken by the Puneri Paltan was enough to ensure their side won the game. For the Bengaluru Bulls, the loss put a dent in their playoff ambitions, but they came back well after Sushil’s super raid in the final minutes reduced the deficit between the two teams.