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The Bengal Warriors edged out the Jaipur Pink Panthers in Sunday's first Pro Kabaddi league encounter. Maninder once again carried his side through.
Meanwhile, U Mumba kept their chances of qualifying for the playoffs alive with a crucial victory over the home side - the Tamil Thalaivas in the second matchup. Here are the major talking points from tonight.
#1 Jaipur's defence goes missing in first half
Any team that has Manjeet Chhillar in it, is expected to do well as a defensive unit. But the Jaipur Pink Panthers were poor and had to bank on their raiders to deliver the goods in their battle against the Warriors.
The Panthers could not score a single tackle point for the first ten minutes of the match. Their corner and cover defenders started slow off the blocks and found it hard to keep up with the tempo at which Bengal's raiders were playing at.
Even their captain, Manjeet Chhillar made some silly errors in the first half, gifting the Warriors cheap, unnecessary points. In the end, it proved to be their undoing as they lost a crunch encounter.
#2 Maninder Singh struggles then goes on rampage
For a man with 139 raid points to his name in just 16 matches, Maninder Singh struggled to get going against the Pink Panthers. In his opening six attempts, Bengal's star raider managed to score just a single point which came courtesy a mistake from Jaipur's defenders.
One, however, couldn't criticize Maninder's approach. He looked lively and quick but Jaipur made specific plans and kept him in check at the beginning. The Panthers mixed it up, at times playing a high line, at times defending deep.
This strategy took Maninder off guard who did not know what to expect. As a result, he was a bit extra cautious to start with.
All this however changed in the second half. Bit by bit, his influence on the game grew and he finished with a massive 16 raid points on the night. It was a sight to behold as Maninder picked and chose his targets at will. All he needed was time and he had plenty of that.
#3 Hectic end to a cliffhanger
Who would have imagined, fans in Chennai were treated to one of the best matches of Pro Kabaddi League season 5. With the scores tied and less than a minute remaining, up stepped Jaipur's Tushar Patil for a do or die raid.
He failed and Bengal took a crucial one-point lead. Even the commentator assumed it was game set match. But not yet. With 3 seconds left, Maninder had to step up for a do or die raid. He too was tackled but not before he picked up a crucial bonus point, right under the nose of Jaipur's captain, Manjeet Chhillar.
After struggling to get going, it was Maninder who shined tonight and single handedly won Bengal the game and most likely, a place in the play offs.
#4 Ajay Thakur displays admirable consistency
When the going gets tough, Ajay Thakur gets going. Captain of an extremely young squad, he hasn't had it easy. Far from it. Victories have been few and far between and it has only added to his responsibilities.
Kabaddi is supposed to be a team game. Time and again this has proven to be true especially in the case of Tamil Thalaivas. Tonight, Ajay scored nine raid points and almost completed his seventh Super 10 of season 5.
In doing so, he put all doubts about his ambition to rest. Thakur may not be the most expressive player on a kabaddi mat, yet every time he steps on it, he makes sure it's like his last. He truly gives it his all and tonight was no different.
#5 U Mumba keep their flame burning
On Sunday, U Mumba registered their 10th victory in 18 games. In doing so, they kept their slim hopes of qualification alive. This has by far been their most challenging season so far. Time and again, they've been tested to the limit and they've found it extremely hectic on the mat.
Anup Kumar will not admit it but this is probably the weakest Mumbai outfit he has captained since the season's inception. With no defenders that he can bank on, he's gone out his way and at times played as a corner defender.
He's attempted more raids than he would have liked. But it's always been for a bigger cause. A playoff without U Mumba will be weird but it is very much a possibility. For now, they can breathe easy and wait and watch what Haryana Steelers do.
