PKL Season 11: Devank Dalal Guides Patna Pirates to 38-28 Victory Against Jaipur Pink Panthers
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Pune, Dec 8 (NationPress) A stunning performance in raiding by Devank Dalal propelled the Patna Pirates to a remarkable 38-28 victory over the Jaipur Pink Panthers in match 99 of PKL 11 at the Badminton Hall in Balewadi Stadium on Sunday. The reigning Green Sleeve holder secured 14 points, leading the team towards a semi-final berth while completing the double over the Jaipur side.
The defenders from both teams managed to keep the raiders at bay initially. Ankush Rathee made a swift move, achieving three Tackle Points by successfully tackling both Devank Dalal and Ayan Lohchab, which allowed the Jaipur Pink Panthers to gain an early advantage.
A turning point in the first ten minutes was the substitution of M Sudhakar for Arkam Shaikh, who quickly made his mark by tackling both Neeraj Narwal and Lucky Sharma.
Despite a back-and-forth battle between the former PKL champions, the Jaipur Pink Panthers went into the half-time break with a six-point edge. Arjun Deshwal, the Raid Machine, started cautiously but soon found his rhythm, successfully tackling Devank along with Shubham Shinde and Navdeep during a multi-point raid.
On the other hand, Devank maintained the pressure, but insufficient support from his fellow raiders led to the Patna Pirates facing an all-out as the half-time score stood at 18-12 in favor of the Jaipur Pink Panthers.
The Patna Pirates made a strong comeback, applying pressure on the Jaipur Pink Panthers at the start of the second half. This began with Deepak successfully tackling Arjun Deshwal, while Ayan Lohchab scored his first point of the night by taking down Lucky Sharma.
Arkam Shaikh then tackled Vikash Kandola in a Do-or-Die raid, leading to the three-time PKL champions executing an all-out on the Jaipur side just five minutes into the second half. As the strategic timeout approached, the Patna Pirates had taken the lead, outscoring their opponents 12 points to 4 in the third quarter.
As the match neared its conclusion, the Patna Pirates tightened their defense, preventing Arjun Deshwal, Neeraj Narwal, and Vikash Kandola from capitalizing on their raids. With the victory almost assured, Devank secured a commendable raid against substitute Shrikant Jadhav, marking his 13th Super 10 of the season. This was soon followed by a second all-out inflicted on the Jaipur Pink Panthers, concluding the match with the Patna Pirates winning by a margin of 10 points.
