Visakhapatnam, Sep 11 (NationPress) In a gripping encounter during the penultimate match of the first leg of PKL 12, U Mumba narrowly triumphed over the Patna Pirates with a score of 40-39 at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag on Thursday.

Ayan Lohchab made history by becoming the first player to achieve back-to-back 20-point games in PKL history, but a crucial unforced error at the end cost his team dearly. For U Mumba, Amirmohammad Zafardanesh shone with a Super 10, while Anil also made significant contributions in what turned out to be an exhilarating high-scoring night.

U Mumba started strong, with Vijay Kumar tackling Ayan Lohchab and Anil executing a two-point raid to give the Season 2 champions an early three-point lead. Milan Dahiya opened the scoring for the Patna Pirates, and they quickly leveled the score thanks to Ayan’s successful Do-or-Die raid.

Zafardanesh then propelled U Mumba back in front with a sensational Super Raid, establishing a six-point lead. Just as they seemed poised for an ALL OUT, Ayan Lohchab countered brilliantly for the Pirates, trimming the deficit to just two points, with the score at 9-11 after the first quarter.

U Mumba eventually executed an ALL OUT against their rivals, with captain Sunil Kumar leading with his first tackle. The Anil Chaprana-led squad appeared defensively dominant, maintaining a seven-point gap with under five minutes remaining in the first half.

Ayan Lohchab continued his impressive form, achieving his Super 10 in the opening half. Nevertheless, the Patna Pirates found themselves trailing by eight points at halftime, with the score at 23-15.

In the initial five minutes of the second half, the Patna Pirates surged back into the match. Ayan Lohchab’s brilliance helped his team execute their first ALL OUT, leveling the scores. The teams exchanged blows, with the scoreboard reading 29-29 as they entered the final ten minutes.

Anil and Zafardanesh kept U Mumba in contention, but Ayan remained relentless, keeping the Pirates slightly ahead with a two-point lead as the clock wound down to five minutes.

Zafardanesh then completed his Super 10, drawing U Mumba level at 34-34. However, the Pirates reclaimed the lead thanks to Ayan Lohchab’s remarkable performance, marking his second consecutive 20-point game.

With under two minutes remaining, a timely Super Tackle from U Mumba narrowed the gap to just one point. Zafardanesh executed a four-second raid to keep U Mumba in the competition, leveling the scores with fewer than five seconds left as a tie-breaker loomed. Ayan had a final chance to secure victory in the last raid, but in a moment of pressure, he made an unforced error by stepping into the lobby, a mistake that cost his team the match and delivered a narrow victory to U Mumba.