Pune, Dec 8 (IANS): Another masterclass in raiding from Devank Dalal helped the Patna Pirates to an impressive 38-28 win over the Jaipur Pink Panthers in match 99 of PKL 11 at the Badminton Hall in Balewadi Stadium on Sunday. The current Green Sleeve holder scored 14 points as he led the charge, ensuring that the Patna Pirates remain in the hunt for a semi-final spot and completing the double over the Jaipur Pink Panthers.
It was the defenders who kept the raiders from either team quiet. Ankush Rathee quickly rushed to three Tackle Points, having successfully tackled Devank Dalal and Ayan Lohchab to give the Jaipur Pink Panthers an early lead.
A crucial moment in the first 10 minutes of the half, however, was the substitution of M Sudhakar for Arkam Shaikh, and he was immediately effective, getting Neeraj Narwal and Lucky Sharma in one fell swoop.
Despite a topsy-turvy clash between the two former PKL champions, it was the Jaipur Pink Panthers who entered the half-time break with a six-point lead. Raid Machine Arjun Deshwal started the game on a cautious note but found his form as he got the dangerous Devank, and then Shubham Shinde and Navdeep in a multi-point raid.
On the other side of the mat, Devank kept the pressure, but a lack of help from his supporting raiders meant the Patna Pirates were all out as the score read 18-12 in favour of the Jaipur Pink Panthers at the end of the first half.
The Patna Pirates came back well and piled the pressure on the Jaipur Pink Panthers at the start of the second half. It started when Deepak successfully tackled Arjun Deshwal, while Ayan Lohchab won his first point of the night, getting Lucky Sharma.
Arkam Shaikh then tackled Vikash Kandola in a Do-or-Die raid, with the three-time PKL champions inflicting the all out on the Jaipur Pink Panthers just five minutes into the second half. As the strategic timeout came around, the Patna Pirates were in the lead, having scored 12 points in the third quarter of the game compared to their opponents' four.
As the match came to a close, the Patna Pirates tightened their defense as Arjun Deshwal, Neeraj Narwal, and Vikash Kandola were unable to take advantage of any of their raids. With the win almost inevitable, Devank got substitute Shrikant Jadhav with an impressive raid to complete his 13th Super 10 of the season. This was followed by a second all out inflicted on the Jaipur Pink Panthers, eventually closing out the match as the Patna Pirates won by 10 points.