Jaipur Pink Panthers Vs Puneri Paltan 17 November 2024

Full-Time
Jaipur Pink Panthers 30 - 28 Puneri Paltan

It's safe to say this match met our expectations! An absolute thriller that went down to the wire, but the team that led throughout this match ended up deserved winners, riding on the back of an outstanding defensive performance!

Ankush Rathee and Lucky Sharma, the two Jaipur corners, were brilliant, with the former scoring six tackle points and the latter four, both playing an instrumental role in keeping the Pune raiders quiet. In a match where defenses where on top, raid points, touch points, in particular, came at a premium, and barring a few moments, both teams' raiders were kept quiet.

Jaipur dominated the first match with Arjun Deshwal in good form, but once the Paltan defense found their bearing, the game slowed down. It took a moment of magic from Akash Shinde to unlock the game in the 2nd half, with his Super Raid bringing the Paltan back into it.

However, the Jaipur defense did enough to retain their lead, and despite both team managements' efforts to achieve their respective goals, it was Jaipur who held on tight to their advantage, beating the Paltan by one point and leapfrogging them to move up to 2nd place on the points table!

We've been treated to two absolute thrillers on this Super Sunday. Join us again tomorrow for more thrilling kabaddi action as I, Shreyas, wish you a goodnight!

2nd Half, 40'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 30 - 28 Puneri Paltan

What a finish! Jaipur held their nerve towards the end, but this was tactical warfare at its finest!

Against a 5-man defense, the Pune raiders were simply unable to get that elusive point to draw level, and with 29 seconds left on the clock, Abhijeet Malik was expected to run the clock down and make it the final raid.

However, Akash Shinde showed great awareness to sneak in a last raid for his side, but it was unsuccessful as a confident Ankush came around with a well-timed challenge on the left raider to earn his team a well-deserved win.

2nd Half, 39'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 29 - 28 Puneri Paltan

A big moment in this match as Ajith heads in for a do-or-die raid against a 5-man defense with around one and a half minutes left to play, and Jaipur win that mini-battle!

It's pretty much a solo tackle from Reza Mirbagheri on Ajith Kumar, who had no chance against the Iranian's power.

Another timeout is called, and the Paltan's coach insists that his team not give the bonus point at any cost in the next raid.

And his team follow it to perfection. Neeraj Narwal the raider for Jaipur, and it's a clutch tackle from Sanket Sawant right as he attempts the bonus!

A timeout called by the Paltan with 150 seconds left to play. 

Just a one-point deficit for the Paltan, and Head Coach BC Ramesh providing plenty of tactical guidance to his side, instructing his team to capitalize on this period with Arjun Deshwal on the bench, also asking Ajith Kumar to proceed cautiously while raiding.

2nd Half, 37'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 28 - 27 Puneri Paltan

Lucky Sharma has a close call with the lobby but upon close viewing, he's adjudged to have stayed within the court limits.

Ajith Kumar, the former Jaipur raider gets a useful bonus point and follows it up with a crucial touch point in an escape from Lucky Sharma! A bit too eager in the search for a High 5 for the right corner, and he mistimes the challenge in the process.

Do-or-die raid for Arjun Deshwal against a full house for the Paltan, and while he manages a bonus, it's Gaurav Khatri who covers plenty of distance from that right corner with a powerful dash to send him back to the bench!

This game is going down to the wire.

2nd Half, 34'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 27 - 24 Puneri Paltan

Arjun Deshwal hits back, anticipating the challenge from Aman and escaping from it with ease. Akash Shinde attempts and gets the bonus in the next raid, but his attempt to go back for more is met with a pitch-perfect knee hold from Lucky Sharma that's too good for him. 4th of the night for Lucky, who has been brilliant tonight!

2nd Half, 32'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 25 - 23 Puneri Paltan

Animated moment there between Pankaj Mohite and Ankush, with the former claiming a touch, but the left corner is confident there was no touch and expresses the same loudly. No point is given and Pankaj makes little fuss over it. An attempt to play mind games perhaps.

At the other end, Arjun quietly gets a bonus point in.

Akash Shinde looks to have gained confidence after that Super Raid and it's a brilliant kick on the run that catches Ankush flush on the face to bring the Paltan back within touching distance of Jaipur.

2nd Half, 30'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 24 - 22 Puneri Paltan

Akash Shinde with a game-changing Super Raid! 

Call it this commentator's curse, but Ankush, who has been impeccable tonight, loses grip of Akash Shinde after initiating what appears to be a rock-solid block on the raider, and Akash makes the most of that marginal error, using his height really well to get his arm past the mid-line, getting touches on Surjeet Singh and Neeraj in the process.

With Jaipur down to one, the substitute raider is brought down by a well-timed challenge from Sanket Sawant, as the Paltan roar back with an all-out of their own.

One small error, one brilliant Super Raid and the Paltan are well and truly back in this game! As we go into another timeout, only two points separate the two teams.

2nd Half, 29'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 23 - 16 Puneri Paltan

And that's a nearly flawless High 5 for Ankush Rathee! The left corner hasn't put a foot wrong this evening, picking up five tackle points with a 100% success rate, with the fifth a great block on Ajith Kumar.

At the other end, the Paltan's left corner Aman says two can play this game, diving in with a solid ankle hold to send Abhijeet Malik to the bench.

2nd Half, 27'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 22 - 15 Puneri Paltan

Okay, finally a touch point for the Paltan after what seems like an eternity! Akash Shinde ambles about near the baulk line, waiting for the challenge to come in from Reza Mirbagheri, slipping away from it easily.

Arjun Deshwal has a do-or-die raid, but he's confident he gets the bonus point and heads back to the mid-line. But wait, the referees don't think he has it and declare him out!

Arjun confidently reviews the call, but you know what, that's brilliant officiating from the referees. It's Arjun's trailing foot that actually lands first, and that's a rare error in judgement from Arjun. Review unsuccessful.

FYI, V Ajith Kumar is subbed on for the Paltan, and he replaces Mohit Goyat!

2nd Half, 24'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 22 - 13 Puneri Paltan

Raiding against a 4-man defense isn't easy for any raider, especially against an in-form Jaipur defense, and Mohit Goyat looks bereft of ideas, succumbing to another well-timed ankle hold from Ankush in a do-or-die raid.

Lucky Sharma is making that right corner spot his own, and he confidently comes around from that right side to stop Pankaj Mohite alongside Abhijeet Malik to complete the chain tackle. The latter also scores a useful bonus point to extend Jaipur's lead to 9!

2nd Half, 22'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 19 - 13 Puneri Paltan

The slow nature of this game continues, and it's really a case of who blinks first, with neither raiding unit taking too many risks. And Abinesh Nadarajan says let me be the change! His dash is powerful and timed to perfection on Neeraj Narwal, who's sent flying off the mat.

Jaipur down to four and Arjun is on the bench.

Half-Time
Jaipur Pink Panthers 19 - 12 Puneri Paltan

The Jaipur defense returns the favor when Pankaj Mohite goes in for a do-or-die raid, with Lucky Sharma putting in a crunching tackle to send the Paltan captain to the bench.

It's the defenses doing all the talking for both teams as Arjun is sent to the bench once more, this time by Aman, whose ankle hold caught the Jaipur skipper off guard. Slowly but surely, their defense is getting the Paltan into the game here.

The game's tempo has slowed down considerably and a couple of empty raids later, the whistle blows for half-time.

A comfortable 7-point lead at the break for the Jaipur Pink Panthers, with Arjun Deshwal's five raid points the difference between the two teams, as the Paltan raiders have simply not gotten going. Both defenses look comfortable, and if Pune can find a solution to break the Jaipur defensive unit, we could be in for a thrilling finish to this match!

Don't go anywhere as we'll be back with the final 20 minutes.

1st Half, 18'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 18 - 11 Puneri Paltan

With the Paltan having only five on the mat for the last few minutes, Arjun hasn't taken too many risks and has played it safe, with the Paltan defense slowly settling into a good rhythm.

Those empty raids pile up into a do-or-die raid which Abhijeet Malik goes in for, and while he twists and turns really well from Sanket Sawant's dash, he falls just inches short of crossing the mid-line and getting a potential Super Raid.

1st Half, 16'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 18 - 10 Puneri Paltan

An isolated moment of brilliance from the Paltan defense as they wait Neeraj Narwal out in a do-or-die raid before Gaurav Khatri pounces to open his account for the night. Pankaj Mohite gets his first point of the night with a bonus point.

A mini-comeback from the Paltan this.

1st Half, 14'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 18 - 8 Puneri Paltan

Do-or-die raid for the Paltan and Akash Shinde has no chance going up against that left chain, with Neeraj Narwal's thigh hold too good for the left raider. 

Mohit Goyat follows him to the bench, this time the victim of a solid block from Surjeet Singh.

1st Half, 12'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 16 - 8 Puneri Paltan

A couple of empty raids slow the pace of this game down, and that works in Pune's favor as Aman waits it out and times his diving ankle hold well to bring Abhijeet Malik down.

1st Half, 10'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 16 - 7 Puneri Paltan

It's taken nearly nine minutes for the Paltan to score their first tackle point of the match, but it's a big one! Abinesh Nadarajan times his dash to perfection this time on none other than Arjun Deshwal as the Paltan hit back.

He goes for it once again does Abinesh, but Abhijeet Malik just about manages to get his hand past the mid-line before getting dashed off court.

It's a do-or-die raid in the final raid before the timeout for the Paltan, and the captain Pankaj Mohite steps up. The Jaipur defense exercise great patience before Ankush pounces in the final seconds of the raid.

Complete domination from Jaipur so far, and the Paltan will be glad that the whistle blew for the timeout.

1st Half, 8'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 14 - 6 Puneri Paltan

Arjun Deshwal is in his groove! Gets the bonus with ease and enduces Abinesh into putting in the tackle, escaping with ease. Akash Shinde pulls one back with a pacy touch on the left cover Reza, but Arjun looks unstoppable right now, isolating the left corner and getting a clean touch on him.

1st Half, 6'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 11 - 4 Puneri Paltan

Neatly done that from Arjun Deshwal. Great agility and change of pace from him looks to have unsettled a crouching Abinesh who steps past the end-line. Ohh, cruel decision that as replays suggest that his foot was actually on the line, but the Paltan remained unaware and are down to two.

Arjun quickly reduces them to one, getting an easy touch point on Sanket Sawant. Mohit Goyat is dashed out by a solo tackle from Reza Mirbagheri, but the Jaipur defender goes out himself, granting a point each.

Aman is the last man standing for the Paltan, and it's an easy surrender raid for Arjun, who gladly takes the point to get Jaipur a deserved first all-out of this match.

1st Half, 4'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 5 - 2 Puneri Paltan

Neeraj Narwal does really well to extend Jaipur's lead, escaping well from Gaurav Khatri's attempted ankle hold. Pankaj Mohite, the Pune captain tries hard to start well, but his attempted leap over the right corner doesn't come off, with Lucky Sharma bringing him down with ease.

The Paltan now down to three.

1st Half, 2'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 3 - 2 Puneri Paltan

Well, entertaining start that. Mohit Goyat's pace forces an error from Lucky Sharma who steps beyond the end line, but Ankush Rathee initiates a tackle as Mohit goes in for more, and while he escapes from that challenge, Surjeet Singh's assist is terrific, earning both teams a point each.

It happens again! Arjun Deshwal wrongfoots Aman with his agility, forcing the left corner to step into the lobby, but himself slips into the lobby. 

Akash Shinde goes in for a raid, and this time, he's tackled cleanly by the left chain, with Ankush making a solid start to this match!

Toss Update: The Puneri Paltan win the toss and choose to raid first.

Interesting choice that from the Paltan to raid first. We'll see how it works out pretty soon. Mohit Goyat to put in the first raid.

We're not long away from the start of the much-awaited second game of the night. Don't go anywhere.

The first match of this Sunday doubleheader went down to the wire between the Haryana Steelers and the Tamil Thalaivas, with the Steelers peaking towards the end, emerging 36-29 winners.

Get an edge over your Dream11 rivals with the assistance of our specially curated surprise picks for this fixture:

Here's all you need to know about the interesting history behind this clash and all the other head-to-head stats when these teams have faced off:

It's time to make your Dream11 teams for this blockbuster encounter, and if you have trouble choosing from the innumerable options on offer, take the help of Sportskeeda's Dream11 prediction for all your Fantasy Kabaddi needs:

Team News

Here are the starting 7s of both teams:

Jaipur Pink Panthers: Arjun Deshwal (C), Ankush, Lucky Sharma, Reza Mirbagheri, Surjeet Singh, Neeraj Narwal, and Abhijeet Malik.

Puneri Paltan: Pankaj Mohite (C), Gaurav Khatri, Aman, Abinesh Nadarajan, Mohit Goyat, Akash Shinde, and Sanket Sawant.

Both teams have named teams along expected lines. While the Paltan remain unchanged, raiding all-rounder Abhijeet Malik comes in for Shrikant Jadhav in the only tweak for Jaipur.

Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's coverage of the eleventh edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. We have for you a stellar clash lined up as the last two PKL champions face off on this Super Sunday at the Noida Indoor Stadium. It's the Jaipur Pink Panthers and the Puneri Paltan who go head-to-head in what should be a thrilling match-up.

The Paltan, despite receiving a huge blow in an injury to captain Aslam Inamdar, remain in a good position on the points table, with five wins and two ties in nine games, with a win in this fixture potentially taking them to the top of the table. Their strength remains their tough defensive unit spearheaded by right corner Gaurav Khatri, with their three-pronged raiding department doing a decent job thus far. They will be disappointed with their performance in their last match against Dabang Delhi KC which finished in a 38-38 tie.

Jaipur Pink Panthers were in a poor run of form, but they look to have moved past that phase, winning two matches in a row, with their latest a 32-24 triumph over the Gujarat Giants. With Arjun Deshwal and Reza Mirbagheri in good form, they'll look to make it a hat-trick of wins, with the third one coming against a really strong adversary.

This should be a nail-biter of a contest with several top stars locking horns on the mat. So sit back and relax as we bring to you all the action as it unfolds from Noida.