New Delhi: Telugu Titans defeated Pink Panthers by one point, 35-34, in a gruelling match of the Pro Kabaddi League at the Sheraton Grand, Whitefield, Bengaluru, on Wednesday, January 19, 2022.
Jaipur’s Deepak Niwas Hooda began the first half with a point and a bonus. Rajnish Dalal took Sandeep Dhull down and opened the event for Telugu. Telugu’s Sandeep Kandola held Deepak by the waist with assistance from Surinder Singh and equalised scores 2-2.
Jaipur’s Vishal Lather and Dhull combined to block and closeout Rakesh Gowda to get 3 points. Jaipur was leading 16-8 as Telugu conducted empty raids. Telugu tried catching up at 13-20 when Rajnish conducted a raid and went past Sahul Kumar. Dhull tried stopping him but went off the mat as both teams received points.
However, Telugu’s Adarsh T took 3 opponents off the mat and equalised scores 20-20. Jaipur raiders were quick to respond, and Dhull, Vishal, and Arjun Deshwal gained points for the team. Deepak conducted a do-or-die raid when Surinder blocked him. Dhull pushed Singh to the midline, and both Dhull and Surinder sat on the bench.
Adarsh evaded the dash and returned with levelled scores 25-25. Jaipur’s Arjun conducted a Super Raid and got a 3-point lead. Telugu made an All-Out and snatched the lead with 34 -32 points. Surinder made an error, and though Jaipur received a point, Telugu won the match by a slight 35-34 margin.
(Avya Mathur)
