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21-21 last time and 26-26 this time -- the Southern derby between the Bengaluru Bulls and Telugu Titans delivered yet another tie in Season 5 of Pro Kabaddi. It was a cagey affair all along that came down to the last raid in which the Titans managed to tie things up.
That set things up nicely for the second game where the UP Yoddha and Patna Pirates served up a treat with the home side picking up their second home win on the trot thanks to some brilliance in the end from their lead man.
Here's what stood out on the night.
#1 Super Tackles to the rescue
There was just the solitary All Out in the match between the Bengaluru Bulls and Telugu Titans -- inflicted by the Bulls in the first half. That meant that the match was relatively close throughout.
Rahul Chaudhari and Rohit Kumar, the lead raiders of the Titans and Bulls respectively, were having good games to lead their sides on the night. But it was Vishal Bhardwaj and the Super Tackles that really kept the Titans in the game, eventually helping to knot things up in the end.
The Titans could easily have suffered more than the single All Out, but staved them off with five Super Tackles in this game -- 10 crucial points in a rearguard effort. Vishal was responsible for three of them, Sombir and young raider Elangeshwaran chipping in with the other two. More importantly though, four of the five Super Tackles were on Rohit Kumar, the Bulls' captain and lead raider, sending him to the bench every time the Bulls threatened to break the game open.
The last of those came with just under two minutes left as Rohit was sent back to bring the Titans to within two, down 24-26. Vishal finished with 7 points on the night and the third-highest points scorer in the encounter.
#2 An anti-climactic, underwhelming end almost
Despite the contest being close, the Bulls maintained just enough distance between themselves and the Titans and looked likely to emerge with the win when they led by eight, up 24-16 with 8:32 remaining. Then, Super Tackle on Rohit Kumar. 24-18. At 6:24, Super Tackle, again. 25-21 and the lead down to four.
Despite that late surge, the Bulls managed to get to 27-23 with just 2 minutes and change left on the clock. Down to three men once again though, the Titans played it smart and used quick, empty raids to force the Bulls into a Do or Die raid. The move paid off as with just three men on the mat, it also presented a Super Tackle opportunity, an opportunity that they took with both hands. Rohit was sent packing and the Titans were suddenly right there, trailing 24-26 with 1:52 remaining.
Ravinder Pahal went in for a needless tackle on a Do-or-Die raid to give Rahul Chaudhari an easy point and make it a one-point game. With Rohit off the mat, it was up to Ajay Kumar to manage the game and he decided to kill time, but the Bulls would have to face the pressure of a Do-or-Die raid, possibly as the buzzer raid.
With five Titans on the mat, the bonus was not in the offing, and the Titans defence waited it out, avoiding giving a touch point to Ajay who was far too passive considering the situation and stakes. Time ran out and being a Do-or-Die raid, Ajay gave up an automatic point which meant the game ended in a tie with no more time left.
Coach Randhir Singh Sherawat was rightfully furious at his side's ineptitude in the closing stages of the game. A game that had built up nicely to a crescendo and as we seemed set for a dramatic, tense finish, the Bulls' approach meant the game ended in a bit of an anticlimax.
#3 Patna Pirates and UP Yoddha serve up a treat
After a very cagey affair between the Bulls and Titans, the second encounter of the night delivered in a big way.
What a fantastic battle these two sides served up, the two teams trading punches like two very good boxers. Their captains were front and centre in their performances -- Nitin Tomar was superb with 14 points from 24 raids for the Yoddha, while Pardeep Narwal was once again sensational with 15 points from 23 raids.
It was an absolute barn-burner that swung in favour of each side multiple times in a contest that was played at a frenetic pace.
Pardeep took a blow to the head that led to him forced off the mat to stop the bleeding. Nitin and the Pirates' Monu Goyat meanwhile led the charge for their respective sides. Rishank Devadiga brought about a Super Raid just before Pardeep could come back in the game. Pardeep came back in on a Do-or-Die raid and picked up two points like it was the easiest thing in the world. The Pirates effected the first All Out, but the Yoddha came right back to reduce them to two men and tie things up at 20-20 at half-time.
The Yoddha took the lead in the second period, but behind Pardeep's record-breaking effort the Pirates seemed to have done enough when they inflicted a second All Out on the Yoddha to take their biggest lead at 35-29 with 10:40 left in the game. Nitin though was not taking it lying down as he almost single-handedly willed his side back into the contest and inflict a second All Out themselves on the Pirates and lead 38-35 with about five minutes to go.
But cometh the hour, cometh the man. Who else, but Pardeep Narwal?
With his side down three and time running out, Pardeep dealt a body blow to the Yoddha with a 3-point Super Raid that tie the score at 40 a piece. The Pirates rode that momentum to finish the game strongly and eventually pick up the win with a third All Out on the Yoddha.
Two fantastic captain's performances, multiple lead changes, five All Outs in total and a phenomenal raid to swing the game right at the end - this game delivered big time.
#4 And in the midst of all this, we had some bungling officials
While the players on the mat were out there covering themselves in glory, the officials in the second match of the night between the Pirates and the Yoddha were dowsing themselves in incompetence.
Twice they allowed a review to be taken far too late -- in an almost comically ways, once to each side. After Pardeep Narwal had been tackled and Nitin Tomar had come in to pick up two points on the subsequent raid, the two umpires after some consultation allowed the Pirates to review Pardeep's previous raid. Nitin had been one of the Yoddha players to have tackled him and it would have been disastrous had the review ruled Pardeep was safe, because the officials had just allowed Nitin to raid soon after and pick up two points. Absolute madness. There's no way such a late review should have been allowed. And if it was indeed called on time, as one of the officials seemed to suggest, why did they allow Nitin to go for the raid instead of stopping play?
They allowed this to happen once again in the second half, this time in favour of the Yoddha, when Jeeva Kumar was allowed to challenge a Pirates raid far too late. This has to stop.
But THE goof up of this season was yet to come. Battling to stave off an All Out, the Pirates were getting crucial points and Pardeep was revived and he went in for the raid as the last man standing. One UP defender got himself out by stepping out of bounds and after trying for another touch point, Pardeep retreated over to his side. One man was revived, but Nitin gave chase with a quick pursuit, touched Pardeep, celebrated and was given the point.
Then on the next raid, instead of the Pirates, it was Nitin again staring down the last man and inflicting an easy All Out on the home side.
What?????
There were so many things wrong here.
From Pardeep's raid, the man who was revived with the self-out had not come onto the mat yet. As a result, Nitin's pursuit should not have stood and the point to the Yoddha should not have been awarded.
After that, once they had allowed Nitin's quick pursuit raid to stand, how could UP raid again instead of the Pirates???
Absolutely shocking officiating, the kind never seen before. Luckily for either side, none of these decisions came to haunt them in the end, but just imagine if it had.
An absolute stinker from the officiating team.
#5 Milestone day for PKL's lead raiders
But let's end on a high note, talking about the actual performers on the mat.
It was a day of milestones for three of the leading raiders in the league - Rohit Kumar, Rahul Chaudhari and Pardeep Narwal - in that order.
Rohit was the first, as he notched up 300 points in his PKL career. It's an achievement that is all the more impressive when you consider that players from the Services, such as himself, came into the league only from the third season onwards. And what a treat it has been to watch them and watch Rohit in particular. He was the star of the Patna Pirates' maiden triumph in Season 3 and after a forgettable campaign last time around with the Bulls, seems to have picked it up once again this season.
Rahul Chaudhari, who just crossed 500 raid points at the beginning of the campaign, crossed the 600 mark here. The man is the all-time leader in points in PKL, almost 150 points ahead of Anup Kumar who is second. He may have slowed down a little in the last two seasons, but he's still the overall leader.
And finally, it was the 'Dubki king' Pardeep Narwal, who in the Pirates' clash against the UP Yoddha, picked up another fantastic Super 10, making it the 6th consecutive Super 10 thus far. In the process, he broke Rahul's record of five consecutive Super 10s. Even injury couldn't slow him down; having taken a knee to the head, he had to receive treatment and missed some time, but came back in the only way he knows how, with a 2-point effort on a Do or Die raid no less. The man is simply brilliant. The cherry on this magnificent performance was his 3-point raid right at the end that swung the game in his team's favour.
It has been clear since this season began that Pardeep Narwal now sits on the throne as far as raiders go, having usurped Rahul for that mantle. He is breaking records at a phenomenal pace and with plenty of matches still to come, it looks likely that Pardeep will leave his fellow raiders trailing by the time the dust settles on this season.
