PKL 2019, Match 106, Telugu Titans v Bengal Warriors: Maninder Singh special leads Warriors to 40-39 over Titans
Maninder Singh was the star for Bengal Warriors as they beat Telugu Titans 40-39 in a tightly fought VIVO Pro Kabaddi League match in front of a full house at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday.
Maninder Singh scored 17 points as Bengal Warriors produced a clinical performance that catapulted them to the top of the points table. Siddharth Desai had an off day for the Titans despite scoring 15 points as the Telugu team all but killed their chances of making it to a playoff spot with the loss.
The first half was an evenly matched contest with both teams matching each other in all departments. Maninder Singh was dominant in his raids for the Warriors while Rajnish looked lively in the early minutes for the Titans. While Maninder’s raiding skills deserved praise, it was a lucky mistake from him – going out of bounds – that brought the first real impact of the game as three Telugu defenders followed him into the lobby.
The lucky move proved decisive as Maninder produced a four-point raid in his next foray to secure an All-Out in the 15th minute of the match. The Warriors continued to dominate despite Siddharth Desai’s best attempts at reducing the lead and went into the half time sitting on a 6-point lead (19-13).
The Telugu Titans started the second half like a team fighting to stay in the playoff race and the hunger showed in the early minutes with Siddharth Desai picking up valuable raid points. In defence Vishal Bhardwaj looked his ominous best while Farhad Milaghardan’s all-round abilities played a crucial role as the Titans scripted a comeback.
The Titans utilised the momentum to secure an All-Out in the fourth minute of the second half to gain the lead in the match. There are perhaps no raiders in Kabaddi who can physically match a Maninder Singh in form, and the Punjab-born raider had his beast mode well and truly ON after the All-Out, singlehandedly annihilating the Telugu defence to restore his team’s lead. The Warriors secured their All-Out with under 7 minutes left in the game to move to a four-point lead. Maninder and his teammates then controlled their nerves to clinch an important win.
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