Pro Kabaddi 2019, Patna Pirates vs Tamil Thalaivas: Pirates destroy Thalaivas in a battle of underdogs
After what felt like an eternity, former champions Patna Pirates put up a commanding performance and comprehensively beat the Tamil Thalaivas 51-25 after suffering six consecutive losses at the Pro Kabaddi 2019. Pardeep Narwal got his name registered in the golden history of the league after becoming the first player ever to achieve the 1000-raid point mark.
Narwal played like a real champion as he picked up a humongous total of 26 raid points. Jaideep, with his seven tackle points, was also commendable. From the Thalaivas, V. Ajith Kumar did a brilliant job and completed his Super 10, despite his team's loss.
Read to find out how the highly-anticipated 83rd encounter of PKL 2019 between Pardeep Narwal's Patna Pirates and Rahul Chaudhari's Tamil Thalaivas unfolded itself at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium in Kolkata:
Rahul Chaudhari started for the Thalaivas and came back without a point. Jaideep's dive introduced the first point for Patna on the night. A brilliant two-pointer by record-breaker Narwal put the them in a 3-0 lead.
V. Ajith Kumar opened the account for the Thalaivas after picking up a swift bonus. He also reached the 50-raid point mark in PKL 2019. The Dubki King, Pardeep Narwal kept pitching in points for the Green Army tirelessly. In the ninth minute itself, the Chennai-based franchise suffered its first all-out of the night.
A sensational two-pointer by Narwal made him the first-ever player on this planet to achieve the 1000 raid-point milestone in PKL. However, the joy did not last long for he got super tackled in his very next raid.
The Men in Green demanded a review opposing the referee's decision, which was declared futile. At half-time, the three-time champions inched ahead with the score 18-13.
As the other half commenced, Monu picked up a point, hence retaining Narwal. The Thalaivas conceded a second ill-fated all-out in the 25th minute as Patna increased its already massive lead to 13 points.
Narwal was on fire, as he initiated a successful three-point Super Raid in brilliant fashion. In an out-of-the-world raid, he picked up yet another smouldering three-pointer while inflicting a third all-out on the rivals. He remained calm as he stole two consecutive two-pointers, back-to-back.
The Thalaivas were in deep crisis as they suffered a fourth all-out in the 35th minute. Rahul Chaudhari picked up a two-pointer, hence providing his team with bleak hope. Jaideep also completed his High 5 in style.
Ajith Kumar, who played the role of a lone warrior, completed the second Super 10 of his career. With just 13 seconds left on the clock, Hadi Oshtorak ended the battle with a Super Tackle.
Patna Pirates, after enduring a long struggle, clinched the battle with the score 51-25. They also became the second team after Dabang Delhi to reach the half-century mark.
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