'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Patna Pirates started off their home stretch in a rather disappointing fashion as they fell prey to a strong Jaipur Pink Panthers side, with the scoreline reading 21-34 after the final whistle. On the other hand, it was a fourth win in a row for the season 1 champions as they continue to be the only unbeaten team in Pro Kabaddi 2019.
Deepak Narwal and Sandeep Dhull were the stars of the show for Jaipur, with the former picking up nine points and the latter notching up another High 5. Pardeep Narwal did show signs of life for Patna but a lack of support from his fellow raiders and defence meant that he missed a major portion of the action while the Pink Panthers hunted his team down.
Here are five major talking points from this game.
#5 The Jaipur Pink Panthers get off to a flyer
The Jaipur Pink Panthers got off to a flying start early in the first half, thanks to an all-round performance in attack and defence. The match started off tightly but a flurry of points saw Jaipur inflict an all-out as early as nine minutes in the match.
At 3-3, Ajinkya Pawar struck a telling blow in a do-or-die situation, taking out Vikas Jaglan and Neeraj Kumar in one swoop. A tackle from the in-form Sandeep Dhull and a successful raid from Deepak Narwal laid the foundation for an all-out, which came through Amit Hooda's crunching tackle on Hadi Oshtorak.
As a result, Jaipur opened up a six-point lead and continued to pile on the points - making the scoreline 14-4 in their favour as Ajinkya struck again on the do-or-die and the defence continuing their solid display. Patna did strike on a couple of occasions but at the break, Jaipur enjoyed a 15-9 lead, which they certainly deserved.
#4 Patna's raiders out of 'touch' in the first half
It will not be an exaggeration to say that it was Patna Pirates' attacking prowess that led them to the Pro Kabaddi League title in season 5, and two seasons later, their raiders are struggling to find their feet.
Pardeep Narwal, who has been Patna's talisman for multiple years now, was a shadow of himself in the first half against Jaipur - picking up just one touch point and one bonus point, and gathering three unsuccessful raids - a figure he will not be proud of at all.
Another issue staring the Pirates in the face is the lack of secondary raiders who can score side-by-side and also revive key members in the team. Mohammad Esmaeil and Jang Kun Lee failed to pick up even a single point in the first 20 minutes of the match, which meant that Pardeep spent over 12 minutes off-court before the break.
#3 Pardeep threatens to rise, Amit Hooda douses the fire
The second half saw Pardeep Narwal raid with renewed vigor as he picked up three straight raid points - taking out the likes of Sandeep Dhull and Ajinkya Pawar. The Pink Panthers were down to three men on the mat and their lead stood at five points. Pardeep was smelling blood as a comeback from the hosts looked imminent.
However, Amit Hooda had other plans. In a super tackle situation, he single-handedly brought down Pardeep with a tackle that was nothing short of spectacular. As Pardeep looked to escape from Amit's arms, the defender showed strength and agility to turn the raider around and take him out of bounds - a move that any wrestler would be proud of.
With this tackle, Amit continued his dominance over the mercurial Pardeep - eliminating the raider for the 16th time in PKL history - the most by any defender. The tackle also allowed Jaipur to avoid an all-out and earned them two points, which helped them extend their advantage.
#2 Deepak Narwal, Sandeep Dhull light up the mat
Deepak Niwas Hooda has been one of the standout players in PKL Season 7 so far, leading the Jaipur Pink Panthers from the front. He has registered 31 points in his team's first three games at a raiding strike rate of 57%.
However, against Patna, he opted to play more of a withdrawn role after a slow start in the game and in his place, his namesake stepped up to the plate in the form of Deepak Narwal. A successful outing saw him pick up a total of nine points as he made the most of a shaky Pirates defence and delivered in crunch situations - showing Patna how a second raider needs to play.
Sandeep Dhull continued his hot streak as well, ending the match with as many as eight tackle points. Coming up against the likes of Pardeep Narwal and Jang Kun Lee, he had just one unsuccessful tackle to his name - a testament to his composure and ability.
#1 Inauspicious start for Patna, Jaipur move to the top of the table
After a jittery start to the season, Patna were looking to start afresh in front of their home crowd. However, they could not deliver the goods against a balanced Pink Panthers unit, that was a cut above in both attack and defense.
Pardeep Narwal, after an indifferent first half, looked to produce another miracle in the closing moments of the game but Jaipur saw the game out in the end, with Sandeep Dhull's, who had another incredible game, super tackle on Pardeep being the final nail in the coffin.
Jaipur, on the other hand, kept their distinction of being the only unbeaten team in the tournament so far intact, picking up their fourth win in four games. The result also sees them zoom towards the top of the table as they now stand on 20 points - three more than U Mumba and four more than Dabang Delhi.
