Pro Kabaddi League: Telugu Titans put up a tough match for the Bengal Warriors
8 August 2014, Patna: Even though they seem to be underdogs in the 2014 Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League, it would be foolish to rule out the Bengal Warriors and the Telugu Titans as powerful teams, capable of superb strategy and implementation. One should not forget that a tie with the Telugu Titans is the only mark on the UMumba's record, and four days in Kolkata was more than enough to expect amazing things from Sunil Jaipal, Jang Kun Lee, and their Captain Nilesh Shinde.
In fact, the first 10 minutes exhibited the anxiety of the two teams, with empty raids and uncoordinated defense resulting in an equal number of slip ups from the two teams, setting them at 7-7. But as time went on and the teams adjusted to each others pace, the game took on a new theme. The beginning of the tenth minute saw Kolkata's Mahendra Ganesh Rajput lifted horizontally into the air by the Telugu defence, followed by a 2 point raid that left the Bengal Warriors with only 2 players, bringing them dangerously close to an all out.
Unfortunately for the Telugu Titans, one of those players was Nitin Madane, who in only 2 minutes singlehandedly brought Telugu down from a full 7 down to just Sachin Shingade, who was then dispatched by the Kolkata defense, giving the Bengal Warriors the all out and a 7 point lead.
As halftime approached, the renewed Telugu team was able to take out a number of Kolkata players, setting themselves up for the next half. Eager for revenge, they earned 4 touches as soon as the second half started, but were soon stopped by a spectacular defense from Captain Nilesh Shinde, who smashed into Titan raiders like a wrecking ball. Jang Kun, back on the mat, scored 2 touches with a characteristic smile on his face, an ante immediately met by Telugu Titans' Sukesh Hegde.
In the next Telugu raid, Jang Kun was once again removed from the field, this time by Rahul Choudhari. Energized by his victory, Rahul followed this by a truly awesome 3 point touch, outmaneuvering the entire Kolkata defense while tagging all of them out and earning the Telugu Titans 6 points, bringing them within 4 points of the Bengal Warriors with a score of 30 - 26.
Kolkata was able to briefly surge ahead in the following 10 minutes, thanks to stupendous defense and a heroic backwards roll raid from Nitin Madane, but a determined Telugu Team was unwilling to lose sight of victory. Playing with powerful determination, they were unable to take the match, but they ended the game with a neck in neck score of Bengal Warriors 38, Telugu Titans 35.
Team Standings:
