Pro Kabaddi League 2018, Match 74: Tamil Thalaivas vs Patna Pirates, Player Ratings
The penultimate day of the Ahmedabad leg of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 6 started off tonight as defending champions Patna Pirates faced off against the Tamil Thalaivas at the Arena by Transstadia in Gujarat.
The two sides had met in the opening fixture of this season when Tamil Thalaivas had beaten the Pirates in a dominating fashion with a 42-26 scoreline. However, since then the two sides have had varied fortunes with the Pirates coasting in the playoffs spot with six wins and the Thalaivas sitting at the bottom of the Zone B standings with just four wins in twelve matches. It is a tough race for the playoff spots in Zone B with not many points separating the two sides. Patna Pirates came into this match on the back of three consecutive wins fueled by strong performances from their raiding unit as Pardeep Narwal, Manjeet and Deepak Narwal have flourished. Tamil Thalaivas won their match yesterday against the Telugu Titans and were high in spirits after a well-fought victory.
The first half of the match started off strongly for the Patna Pirates as they got the all-out in the first seven minutes of the match. The Patna Pirates had taken a 10-1 lead in the match but a spirited show from Ajay Thakur pulled things back for the Tamil Thalaivas. They rallied back with an all-out of their own as they cut the lead down. The first period ended with a score of 16-13 in favour of the Patna Pirates.
The second half saw the Patna Pirates play a more patient game and steadily they built a lead in the match. Manjeet played a good all-around contribution with his tackle points and finished with three tackles. Patna Pirates won the match with a 45-27 scoreline winning their fourth match on the trot.
Tamil Thalaivas
Ajay Thakur - (7/10)
The Tamil Thalaivas skipper was in red-hot form in the first half after the slow start and raced away to seven raid points triggering the comeback. He had a quiet second half and could add just one point spending a lot of time on the bench.
Sukesh Hegde - (2/10)
The experienced raider had a poor night tonight failing to pick up any points in his five raid attempts. He was substituted off in the second half and replaced by Jasvir Singh.
Athul MS - (3/10)
The youngster had a quiet first half of the match picking just one bonus point. He was replaced at the start of the second half by Surjeet Singh Narwal.
Manjeet Chillar - (5/10)
The veteran all-rounder was the leading presence on the Tamil Thalaivas' mat as he orchestrated proceedings. He picked up three tackle points with his famed dashes and blocks on Pardeep Narwal.
D Pradap - (4/10)
The left corner had a poor night in the Tamil Thalaivas' defensive lineup as he committed a lot of mistakes giving away easy points to the Pirates' raiders. He picked up two tackle points in the second half of the match.
Darshan J - (2/10)
The cover defender did not manage any tackle points in the match tonight failing to connect with his dashes and blocks.
D Gopu - (2/10)
The right corner was targeted on multiple occasions by the Patna Pirates' raiders. He had just one tackle point with an ankle hold.
Substitutes:
C Arun - N/A
The substitute defender came on a couple of times into the side but did not have success in his limited chances.
Jasvir Singh - (4/10)
The witty raider came on in the second half of the match and picked up three raid points including two bonus points.
Surjeet Singh Narwal - (4/10)
The substitute raider came on to replace Sukesh Hegde in the second half of the match and scored four good raid points for the side.