PKL 2019, Bengaluru Bulls vs Jaipur Pink Panthers: Panthers keep their playoff dream alive after beating the defending champions
Jaipur Pink Panthers defeated the defending champions Bengaluru Bulls in the 120th PKL 2019 face-off, played on the last day of Haryana leg at the Tau Devilal Stadium.
Deepak Narwal became the highlight of the night after adding 16 points to his name in just 18 raids. Pawan Sehrawat from the losing side garnered a staggering total of 14 points courtesy a splendid game. On the defensive front, Vishal made a mark by collecting five tackle points.
Deepak Narwal, who formerly played for the Patna Pirates, went in for the first raid and kick-started the night for the Pink Panthers on an impressive note after picking up a point. The following minute saw Sumit Singh open the account for the Bulls with a commendable two-pointer.
Bulls, who had already qualified for the Season 7 playoffs, had the power of preventing the Pink Panthers to grab the last spot in the qualifiers' list.
In a bid to pick up a point, the Pink Panthers requested a review three minutes into the game. The review, unfortunately for the Panthers, was declared futile.
After seven minutes of a fast-paced game, the team hailing from Jaipur led with 8-4, all thanks to Nilesh Salunke's killer super-raid.
With the super-raids flowing in, the offense-heavy clash saw raiders from both the sides pitch in points.
Both Pawan Sehrawat and Deepak Narwal were displaying their usual brilliance, as the latter completed his super-ten in the first half itself. Soon enough, Sehrawat also reached the ten-point mark, courtesy an excellent game.
The conclusion of the first half saw the Pink Army edge with 20-18. Banty, who is playing his first-ever PKL season, commenced the second half on an impressive note for the Bulls by inflicting a running hand-touch on Pavan TR.
The following minutes saw Vishal super-tackle Sehrawat, which put the Panthers three points ahead of the defending champions.
Soon enough, the Panthers, who started wonderfully, sustained their first All Out of the night, which saw the score deadlocked at 26-26. The nail-biting encounter, despite being a close contest initially, tilted in Jaipur's direction towards the end.
Ultimately, the Jaipur Pink Panthers defeated the Bengaluru Bulls with 41-34. The Panthers still have a chance to enter the playoffs, thanks to the win. Bulls, on the other hand, gave away the match to the opponents due to a bunch of unnecessary errors in the dying minutes.