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The 11th night of Pro Kabaddi League 2017 saw the home team Bengaluru Bulls go up against Bengal Warriors, who were coming off a thumping victory against UP Yodha in their last match. The Bulls' campaign had been rocky coming into the game as they had not tasted a win since their second game.
On Wednesday night, both the teams looked desperate and disciplined on the mat. But it proved to be a match for the raiders as Rohit Kumar continued his great season while Jang Kun Lee sparkled as well. However, the man who stole the show was Ajay Kumar, who had come into the match under some pressure.
He was simply magnificent on the night and helped the Bulls seal a victory they would be proud of. Here are the five talking points from the match:
#1 Rohit Kumar draws first blood
The Bulls have struggled in their home leg and that has a lot to do with the fact that Rohit Kumar has been slow to get off the blocks in the past few matches. That probably played on Kumar’s mind when he came to take his team’s first raid as he appeared determined to get his side off to a great start. And he did.
His running hand touch in the first raid brought the team two points and helped the Bulls open their account. In the return raid, Vinod Kumar whose intent was to open Bengal’s account, came up against none other than Rohit himself and the star raider blocked him on his retreat to get his team a tackle point too.
And in no time, the Bulls were on the charge with three points to their opposition’s zero. Slow starter Rohit, who?
#2 Sorcerer Lee mesmerizes
What makes Jang Kun Lee so irresistible is not only his ability to dazzle the crowds with his game but also his unpredictability. Every time he is on the mat, you know that either something stupid will happen or something spectacular will leave you awe struck.
He lived up to his reputation on Wednesday night against the Bengaluru Bulls. In the 9th minute, he teased the Bulls defence before going deep into the right corner. A wary Ravinder ‘Hawk’ Pahal was on the lookout but that’s when Jang Kun decided to unleash his ‘Scorpion Kick’ on him and take him out of the equation.
Three minutes later, the Korean was at it again. With just two Bulls defenders on the mat and a super tackle opportunity on, he found himself in a bit of a pickle when both Preetham Chhillar and Rohit Kumar surrounded him. But the escape artist that the man is, he flew over a bending Chhillar to safety, leaving the Bulls with just a single man on the mat.
#3 All round Rohit saves the blushes for the Bulls
Rohit Kumar’s desperation stood out in the first half. After Jang Kun Lee’s moment of brilliance had left the Bulls with only Kumar on the mat and trailing by one point in a tightly contested first half, it was up to him to prevent a Bulls All Out.
Kumar wasn’t going to crack so easily and the raider brought his team a point and even revived Ashish Kumar on the return raid. When Jang Kun Lee came to raid again, only seconds after leaping over Preetham Chhillar for a spectacular raid, Rohit inflicted a super tackle on the Warriors to not only save his team from an All Out but also give them a lead with three quick points.
#4 Super Ajay clinches it with a Super Raid
It was only fitting that 25 minutes into the game, the contest didn’t have a clear winner as the scores remained locked at 16-16. The Bulls finally faced an All Out that had been coming for some time. That proved to be a blessing in disguise for them as it brought in reinforcements.
In came Ajay Kumar, who had already given a much-improved performance on the day, and he turned the game on its head by getting four points as the whole Bengal unit pounced on him in a failed tackle attempt. How much the breaking of the deadlock meant to the Bulls could be seen by the wild celebrations that Rohit Kumar and co. broke into after Ajay’s heroics.
#5 Pahal leads the defence to close out the game
With a healthy lead in the kitty and some time still left on the clock, the Bulls had just one thing in mind – prevent a repeat of Tuesday night when the nervy defence had allowed the Telugu Titans to sneak in from behind and steal a tie.
There were some nervy moments on Wednesday too as Jang Kun Lee kept the defence busy and foxed them from time to time but thanks to an off colour Maninder Singh, the challenge wasn’t too steep for the Bulls defence.
Except for Lee, the others found themselves on the receiving end of some serious thigh and ankle holds with their raiding bids foiled in a matter of seconds. Needless to say, led by the senior pro, Ravinder Pahal, the Bulls defence seemed to have learnt their lessons well, giving a much-improved performance on the night.
