Jaipur Pink Panthers 22-33 Telugu Titans; The Panthers lose their 4th match in Pro Kabaddi
On the second day of the Jaipur leg, Jaipur Pink Panthers were beaten 22-33 by Telugu Titans. The Panthers had won 3 and drawn the other match in their home leg in the first season, but were handed their second consecutive loss on home turf by the Titans.
The team from Hyderabad started the match on the front foot, scoring 3 unanswered points to take a 3-0 lead by the 4th minute. The home team, coming into the match on the back of 3 losses, slowly chipped away at the deficit and took the lead in the 9th minute when Rahul Chaudhari was caught by the Panthers defence.
From the 10th minute, when Sukesh Hegde had a successful raid, till the 19th, when Rahul Chaudhari returned from his raid with a point, none of the raiders were able to win a single point for their teams.
Both the teams exchanged points for the remainder of the half as a slow first period was brought to a close by the referee with Titans leading narrowly, 8-7. The onus would be on Kasinathan Bhaskaran to inspire his side to a first win of the tournament.
Titanic performance by the Titans
The first major action of the match occurred in the 21st minute when Rahul Chaudhari inflicted an all out on the home side with a brilliant raid which earned his team 4 points. This established a 7-point lead for the Titans.
Rajesh Narwal helped the home side reduce Titans’ lead with a couple of successful raids, but Rahul Chaudhari ensured that his team’s lead did not go below 6 throughout the match.
In the 33rd minute, the young Titans raider returned from his raid with 3 points as the home side were on the verge of yet another all out. The last man standing, Rajesh Narwal, was caught in the Titans half as the away team led by 12 points: 29-17.
Deepak Nivas Hudda was the designated captain for Telugu Titans on the night and he did not let the team down as he ensured that his team did not let go off their lead in the final few minutes. The away side were dominant for the rest of the match as they sealed out a 22-33 win as Navneet Gautam’s side were left to ponder on what has gone wrong for the defending champions this season.
Rahul Chaudhari, Sukesh Hegde shone for the Titans while Rajesh Narwal carried the torch for the losing side. The Panthers now face yet another daunting match against the Bengaluru Bulls while Telugu Titans will play their next match against the Patna Pirates at Indoor Stadium in the Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna.
Man of the match: Rahul Chaudhari
Watch the highlights of the match here.
Buy your Telugu Titans home leg tickets here.