Pro Kabaddi 2019, Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Gujarat Fortune Giants: Panthers and Giants end the intense battle on a tie

Jaipur Pink Panthers, the inaugural champions of the Pro Kabaddi League, started their home leg with a 28-28 tie with the Gujarat Fortune Giants in Match No. 100 of PKL 2019 on Saturday.

The interesting face-off saw just the defenders do all the hard work. Vishal from Jaipur turned out to be the best player with 9 tackle points in his kitty. Parvesh Bhainswal also completed his High 5 in brilliant fashion. The raiders from both the squads, surprisingly enough, failed to make any mark during the battle.

Sachin Tanwar from Gujarat went for the first raid of the night and returned after inflicting a sharp hand-touch on young prodigy, Sandeep Dhull. Vishal's dive on Tanwar's ankles kick-started the night for the hot favourites.

The evening saw a rapid start to the clash with Gujarat leading 5-4, just eight minutes into the game. Just under 13 minutes, the pink army inflicted its first all-out of the night.

Vishal from Jaipur made an impact right away by demonstrating his aerial-dashing skills. The first half of the 100th PKL 2019 battle came to an end with the home team in a 15-10 lead. The second half began with Santhapanaselvam doing a Super Tackle on the Sachin of kabaddi.

A second Super Tackle helped Vishal complete his career's first High 5, that too in just four attempts. Soon enough, the massive lead was reduced to two as Jaipur conceded yet another all-out.

Gujarat's demand for a review in the 29th minute for a bonus was immediately dismissed upon inspection. The duo of Sunil Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal did not feel an iota of exhaustion while producing an impeccable game.

With just five minutes remaining in the encounter, the two squads were level at 22-22, where defenders did all the work while the raiders were kept silent.

A brilliant raid by the newly-appointed captain Rohit Gulia put Gujarat in the lead for the first time in the match. Jaipur's three lethal back-to-back Super Tackles once again brought the score to a cliffhanger.

Ultimately, the heart-stopping nail-biter came to an end on a 28-28 tie. Despite Parvesh Bhainswal's High 5 and Vishal's nine tackle points, nobody ended up winning the match. Nevertheless, both the defensive units put up a brilliant game.

Post the battle, Rohit Gulia seemed satisfied when enquired about Gujarat's performance against the hosts. "Our defense played very well in the second half of the match. It helped us regain momentum and we were able to capitalize on the situation in the final raid of the opposition that helped us for the tie," he said.

When asked about the upcoming match against U Mumba, coach Manpreet Singh replied confidently. He was clearly proud of his boys.

"We will be strategizing for tomorrow's game as it will be crucial for us. The team management and players are focused for tomorrow."

Coach Srinivas Reddy, much similar to Manpreet, was happy with the way Jaipur's defense played. "Our defense did a lot of advance tackles in the second half. There was a time when we were almost about to lose the match but Nitin Rawal and Vishal remained composed. It is a good performance by the defense tonight," he said.

"At least we did not lose the match tonight. We gained three points for the tie. We will strategize on winning tomorrow's match and forget what happened today," he added.

Jaipur's Deepak Hooda also agreed with his coach and promised a better performance in the upcoming battle.

"We are focused for tomorrow's encounter against Bengal. We will take the positives from today's match and focus on what's ahead of us," he signed off.

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