PKL Season 11: Pawan, Vijay Malik score Super 10s as Telugu Titans end home leg with thrilling win
Hyderabad: A dramatic finish saw the Telugu Titans close out the Hyderabad leg with a well-deserved 34-33 win over Puneri Paltan in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the GMCB Indoor Stadium at Gachibowli here on Saturday.
In what was their fourth-straight win of Season 11, the Telugu Titans were guided by their skipper Pawan Sehrawat’s 12 points, and Vijay Malik’s 13 points, which eventually took the home team to second on the points table.
In a match that saw the raiders ruling the roost, Pankaj Mohite for the Puneri Paltan secured the first Super Raid of the game. Soon after, Mohit Goyat completed a Super Tackle as well, as the defending champions took an early lead. This form continued throughout the first 10 minutes, as Sanket Sawant’s tackle on Vijay Malik inflicted an All Out on the home team Telugu Titans.
Despite this, the Telugu Titans had Pawan Sehrawat in his usual raiding form, and he ensured that his team were in the game. The hi-flyer completed his Super 10 – his sixth of the season – with four minutes left in the second half. This helped his team take the lead and also inflicted the All Out on Puneri Paltan. A riveting first half saw the score level at 20-20 at the end.
As both sides exchanged the lead between themselves, they were cautious about their performance in the second half. For Puneri Paltan, Pankaj Mohite was their main aggressor yet again, but he was supported by the likes of fellow raider Mohit Goyat and defender Abinesh Nadarajan. However, Pawan’s magnificent moves kept the Telugu Titans afloat throughout the second 20 minutes of the match.
With the match entering a very important stage, the Telugu Titans, who had the lead, were inflicted with an All Out with little over two minutes left to the end of the match.
Vijay Malik was the second Telugu Titans player to score a Super 10, but at the end, defender Ajit Pawar got Ajith Kumar off the mat, to give the home side a one-point lead, which was enough to seal the victory.
The PKL Season 11 now moves to Noida for the second leg which will start with a clash between U Mumba and UP Yoddhas.