Pro Kabaddi League 2015 - Jaipur Pink Panthers win, Patna Pirates and Bengal Warriors register first draw of PKL 2015

Match 27 of Pro Kabaddi League 2015 and it was the Jaipur Pink Panthers up against Puneri Paltan. Navneet Gautam looked off-colour right from the start and this was evident when Amit Rathi came in for a do-or-die raid. Looking for a touch point, he turned back to assess his options. Navneet Gautam looked in two minds and Amit Rathi capitalized on it to earn a touch point. On the other hand, his team-mate Sonu Narwal looked determined to show that Jaipur Pink Panthers aren’t a one raider team with Jasvir Singh. He stepped in to raid and earned 3 points thanks to a swift turn on a block. In the 13^th minute, Navneet Gautam was put out of his misery as he was substituted by Ran Singh. Pravin Niwale came in to raid and was sucked in so deep that Kuldeep Singh successfully tackled him. Kuldeep Singh slapped him hard across his back in that tackle. As a result, Pravin Niwale gave him a you-are-dead-to-me stare to which Kuldeep was quick to apologise and avert any confrontation. To the surprise of many, Jasvir Singh has been rated as a 4-star raider but it is an accurate assessment thanks to his inconsistent performances. Jaipur Pink Panthers went into the half with a comfy 6 point lead. Puneri Paltan never quite seemed to get back into the match and lost by 6 points as the scores read 29-35. Although Ran Singh was not able to earn many points on his own, he was instrumental in support and was always getting into the thick of things. Rajesh Narwal, primarily a defender, showed his all-round skills earning a tally of 10 points. Sonu Narwal also showed his worth and earned a sweet 8 points for his side. Pravin Niwale was the lone ranger for his side and received no support whatsoever. Jaipur Pink Panthers look to be gaining ground on that semi-final spot and will need to continue this momentum to earn it. 

Match 28 of Pro Kabaddi League was a dull affair in the first 10 minutes as both, Patna Pirates and Bengal Warriors, failed to make inroads into the other’s defense. Patna Pirates’ raiders failed miserably during this period.  Bengal Warriors went into the break leading 12-9. Right after the break, Patna Pirates made a substitution with Gurvinder Singh coming in for D. Suresh Kumar. And oh what a substitution it was as he went on to earn 5 points for his side in one half itself. This season some substitutes have been trying to make a name for themselves and players like Ran Singh and Bhupinder Singh have made a mark for themselves. Gurvinder Singh managed to pull the game within reach for Patna Pirates with 4 brilliant raid points. Last minute of this match was probably the most exciting minute of Kabaddi I have seen, ever. In came the firecracker Sandeep Narwal for a do-or-die raid and was looking for a touch point. This raid could have possibly won the Patna Pirates the game but he was successfully tackled by the Bengal Warriors’ defenders for a 1 point lead. The home fans were devastated but did not know what was in store. Jang Kun Lee came in for the buzzer raid and it was a do-or-die raid. Had it not been one, he could have easily crossed a baulk line to make the raid legal and backed off. Unfortunately for him, he needed a touch point for a successful raid and looking for one, he was tackled successfully much to the delight of the home fans as they went crazy in the stands. We have the first tie of Pro Kabaddi League2015. This was a battle of the defenders as they made the match their own. Patna managed to grab 3 points and stay 4^th in the Pro Kabaddi League 2015 standings whereas Bengal Warriors jumped to 7^th.